Invincible Summer
by lolli.bolli
Summary: It's been 9 yrs since the events of FDTW, and Sookie has returned to Bon Temps after spending that time overseas working hard on her physical and mental abilities. Thrown full speed back into the dangerous world of supes, how will she navigate her life back home when danger lurks around every corner and when she is called on to help solve a horrifying mystery? A/U E/S
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is the first fic I've ever published online, so please be gentle. **

**This story is set just over 9 years after From Dead to Worse, but please keep in mind that my copies of the SVM books are packed away in storage somewhere and I've only read a few summaries of the book online to try and remind myself of what happened in book 8. Story carries on differently from the rest of the SVM series. There may be a few little errors when discussing past events from the books, although I promise I'm trying my best!**

**Chapter 1**

"_In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." ― __Albert Camus_

The gravel crunched noisily under the tires as I pulled to a stop outside the old bar. I jerked up the handbrake, letting it creak into place, and allowed the old pickup to idle for a few seconds before switching it off. I had already decided it was okay to spend a minute gathering my thoughts before heading in, but no longer that that. I was certain if I agonised over my return for any more than a few minutes, then I'd be mightily inclined to simply turn the truck around and head back down the bumpy parish road.

From the outside, the bar didn't look as different as I thought it would. It had aged some, the paint was peeling in the corners around the front window frames, not that unusual for any building residing in humid Louisiana, but the roof looked fairly new, as did the large Merlotte's sign sitting on top.

In fact, the bawdy neon sign that once sat mounted atop the roof was gone, and in its place sat an equally large hand painted sign. It would have taken forever and a day to paint that all by hand, but the result was worth it. It was still the distinctive green and white Merlotte's logo, but bright and cheery enough to indicate it was fairly fresh, and much more elegant than the flickering neons I remembered Sam continually cursing over. Especially since he always seemed to be up on his ladder replacing them.

I hopped out, slamming the truck door behind me and leaving the keys on the pickup's floor, it would seem small town habits die hard. I cast out my mental net as I approached the bar. There were about half a dozen people in the front section and three more out back. Seemed to line up with about how many cars were parked out front. I noticed a police cruiser parked among the others.

It was mid afternoon, that blessedly quiet time in the hospitality business - the fiesta between the lunch and dinner rushes. The only stragglers that remained in the bar at this time of day were generally the consummate drunks or passersby. The air was thick with the afternoon heat, gratefully scented with sweet jasmine that I saw still ran rampant up the side of Sam's trailer. A handful of songbirds called through the surrounding woods, and I tamped down the overwhelming sense of deja vu and nostalgia that my senses were triggering. It was a strange feeling, I felt so wildly different from the girl that walked out on this small backwater town all that time ago, but everything somehow still felt the same, like it had only been yesterday.

It didn't help that the back screen door still creaked exactly as it had nearly ten years earlier, or that the bar still carried the familiar oaky scent blended with fried food, beer and the remnants of stale cigarette smoke. It sounds like it would smell awful, but just ask anyone who had worked any good length of time behind a bar, it is somehow a comforting and familiar smell.

I stood at the door of Sam's office looking in at the man himself. He was sitting deep in concentration in front of a laptop, a spreadsheet up on screen. He was absently scratching a pen against the back of his shaggy strawberry blonde hair and his forehead was wrinkled in thought.

"Well, would you look at that?" I said, in my best southern drawl. "Sam Merlotte has finally caught up to the age of technology. I never thought I'd see the day you'd give up on struggling through your paperwork by hand."

The look on his face at my surprise entrance was worth it, and he was up on his feet and wrapping me in a tight hug faster than you could say boo. I didn't fail to notice to deep sniff he took as we embraced.

"Sookie Stackhouse! I can't believe it's you."

I felt a small, cold part of my heart slowly unfurl as my dear friend hugged me. He stepped back a pace, still holding onto my arms and we grinned stupidly at each other. I let my shields down and bathed myself in his snarly whirl of emotions - gratitude, surprise, and curiosity. I was feeling pretty much the same. He still looked fantastic, scruffy and boyish in his good looks, but his smile lines had deepened since I'd seen him last, so had the worry line at the top of his forehead. The passage of time of had done him a service though, he looked better than ever.

"You look great, Sam."

"So do you, cher. In fact you've hardly changed at all. Seems like those northern winters must agree with you, your tan is as strong as ever."

"Well...I may or may not have invested in a tanning bed once I got settled in." I blushed and he chuckled along with me. "Those northern winters are brutal! The vitamin D is a must."

"Well, it's so good to see you. How long are you in town for?"

Sam settled back down into his seat, and I perched against the edge of his wooden office desk.

"I got in late yesterday, and I'm staying indefinitely at this stage." I kept my eyes trained on the floor, scuffing my toe along the length of a small crack on the polished wooden floor.

Sam squeezed his hand over mine reassuringly, sensing my mix of feelings. "It's great to have you back, regardless of how long you decide to stay. Are you back at the farmhouse?"

I shook my head in reply. "I'm still letting it out to J.B. and Tara. I have no intentions on kicking them out, they're seem so settled there with the kids. So far they've agreed to let me stay on their couch, or bunk in with one of the kids, but Tara said you had an opening at one of your rental houses?"

His eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place for him. "You're the friend she was asking on behalf of last week? I gave her an application and all." He leant back in his chair, looking pleased. "I do have an empty house, it ain't big, but it's tidy and it's yours if you want it. Don't bother applying. I'm pretty sure there's no way for me to physically call myself for your reference check anyway," he winked.

I laughed, buoyed by his upbeat mood. "You're not wrong."

"Let me grab the keys and the rental agreement for you, then we can head out and take a look at the place if you've got time?"

"Sounds fantastic."

He stood and opened the filing cabinet behind him, rifling through the folders.

I twisted to take a look at his desk, my eyes instantly drawn to a wooden photo frame sitting amid a pile of papers. I lifted it to take a closer look.

"That's my wife and son. Catalina and Mateo." Sam was now looking over my shoulder. Even with my shields firmly back in place, I could feel his pride and happiness brimming over. Catalina was a dark beauty, doe eyed, with long silky black hair flowing over her shoulders. She was sitting on a porch, her arms drawn around the small dark haired boy on her lap. He had a broad grin, almost exactly like Sam's.

"Oh Sam, they're both so beautiful. I'm so happy for you. How old is Mateo?" Smiling softly, I traced a finger across the young boy's hair. I tried my hardest to rein in my wistful feelings. I couldn't, no, I wouldn't, let myself re-live the pain of letting go of Gisli and Finnur. I had accepted it and was trying my best to move on.

"He will turn four in fall."

"I can't wait to meet them. I can't believe you're a daddy now."

"You'll have to come by. I'm sure Catalina would love to have you for dinner one night, we've just finished renovating our place." He puffed a little bigger with pride. I caught a flash from his thoughts that she was chomping at the bit to have just about anyone over and show off their newly renovated home.

"So, you finally moved on from the bachelor pad, huh? You've surprised me, Sam."

Sam ran a hand through his hair with abash. "Well, it took a lot of convincing from Cat to give up the trailer. I'm renting it out to Demelza now, she's the fry cook. So it's worked out well."

"Sookie Stackhouse... As I live and breathe!" The familiar perky voice came from the doorway drew my attention away from Sam.

"Hi Arlene," I looked around to smile at the redhead waitress standing in the door. Unlike Sam, time had not been so kind to Arlene. Her face had aged unprettily, her bottle-dyed red hair pulled back tightly from her head, making her angular features more pronounced. We embraced awkwardly, and I dipped into her mind.

_...thought she'd be a vamp for sure by now, or rotting in a grave somewhere. I wonder what -_

I snapped my shields in place and shot Sam a reproachful look. Honestly, I was surprised he'd kept her on at Merlotte's, especially after the two natured had their big reveal nearly 8 years earlier. Arlene was not known for her tolerant disposition. He only shrugged in reply. She had been a mainstay at Merlotte's for as long as I'd known her, I suppose I couldn't imagine what else she would do if she quit working. Bon Temps wasn't known for its employment opportunities.

"Good to see you too, Arlene."

The three of us went out into the bar and and I said hello to the few bar patrons that were lingering there through the afternoon. Jane Bodehouse, still somehow hanging on to her full time position as bar rat, waved to me amiably over her half empty beer glass. Some things would never change. Kevin and Kenya, both in uniform, were sharing a late lunch by the table. I noticed they now wore matching wedding rings. They welcomed me back, although I didn't have to be a mind reader to know they were wondering if I was back in town for good and bringing more trouble for the sheriff's department. I couldn't fault them. I was wondering exactly the same myself.

Sam introduced me to Demelza, a large stony faced woman who seemed in complete command of the small kitchen. I don't think I'd ever seen it so clean. A dip into her mind revealed she was two natured, but Were or shifter, I didn't know. Frankly, she was more than a little intimidating and built like a nightclub bouncer. The stern features on her dark skin looked like it could have been cut into place with a chisel. I couldn't imagine what animal she changed into. A rhino, maybe? I politely complimented her kitchen and her face broke into a startlingly large smile. She pulled me into a suffocating hug that lifted me up off my toes. She laughed at my reaction and patted me on the head once I was set back down on my feet

"Why aren't you a peach? I see why Sam spoke so fondly of you over the years. Now you call me D, hon. I expect you to come back soon so you can try my specialty chili," she winked. I felt winded, but warmed by her welcome.

In the car park, Sam explained how he had brought Demelza on after the reveal. It hadn't gone down as smoothly as the vampire reveal. In fact, many Bon Temps residents didn't take kindly to Sam or his business, so she came to work partly as chef and partly as a backup if things came to blows. She was stern and pretty darn intimidating, but her larger than life persona warmed the locals, and as with all things in small towns, the hype and furor of the reveal eventually died down as people moved onto other gossip. I got the impression that while Sam was still welcome in Bon Temps, he had lost some social standing, but the people still held a grudging respect for him. I was proud of him for sticking it out.

The rental house was not far from where Dawn Green's house had once been. Set in a small leafy street on the outskirts of Bon Temps, the garden was home to a large shady oak tree and a number of small garden beds that were recently dug up and waiting to be planted. The home had neighbors either side, and while they were closer than I would have preferred, it still wasn't as imposing as if I were living in an apartment block. The last ten years had been pretty pivotal for my ability, and I'd built my shields up to be rock solid. They now only required minimal effort to be kept in place. I would manage just fine if I lived here, and even when I needed to relax my mind completely I didn't think the chatter of the minds in the area would be too overwhelming, especially since I learned to mentally turn down the volume, so to speak.

It was a cosy two bedroom cottage, in need of a new coat of paint and new carpet, but as I inspected it room by room, I began to feel the prickle of excitement at picturing it filled with the furniture I'd kept so long in storage. I'd only come back from Kópavogur with a suitcase to my name, but J.B had been kind enough to pack away almost all of my furniture into the shed at the farmhouse after they moved in. He'd even helped me that morning leaving for work to load up my pickup with the essential pieces of furniture. I'd been a little presumptuous assuming that Sam would let me rent out the small home, but my instincts hadn't been wrong. Sam and I stood at the kitchen counter as I signed the lease agreement. I had chosen six months just to start with, and Sam offered such a reasonable price I was feeling guilty enough to try negotiating the price up. He emotions revealed his determination and his desire to help me out, so I let it slide, feeling grateful that my bank balance wouldn't take such a serious hit.

Sam stayed for another hour, helping me unload the furniture and bolt together gran's wooden queen bed. I was much fitter now, so it didn't wear me like it might have once, but the heat was stifling and slowed me down a little. I was still acclimated to a colder climate after my time spent in Iceland. We toasted my return to glasses of water, the only beverage I could offer him due to the bare cupboards and fridge.

Sam stared at me thoughtfully from over the rim, his eyes filled with questions.  
"You're stronger now," he commented. "You smell different too. More fae, but more of something else too."

I considered my words carefully before answering.

"I've been working and training hard these last years since leaving. I didn't go with the intention of running away from my problems, you know that. It's just that I could hardly catch my breath between being dragged from one supe problem to the next. I had to go… and make sure when I did come back I would be able to stand up for myself."

Sam laughed at that. "You never had any problems standing up for yourself, cher. Between your stubbornness and running your mouth off you seemed to get by just fine."

I huffed a little indignantly. "Don't get smart with me, Sam Merlotte. You know what I mean. I'm just lucky I survived long enough to get away. I had a chance to learn how to protect myself better, so I took it."

"Don't get me wrong, Sook. You made the right choice by leaving. You were gone longer than I thought you would have. I had begun to think you wouldn't come back."

_She would have been safer if she hadn't. _

"I had a nice life there while it lasted." I shot him a tight smile, choosing to ignore his stray thought. He noticed my change in mood, and shifted the conversation to the last ten years of gossip in Bon Temps. There was a lot to catch up on.

After a trip to the market to buy just enough food and supplies to tide me over until next day when I could make a big trip out to Walmart, I spent the remainder of the afternoon pottering around the small house trying to make it feel more like home. I unpacked the kitchen items, wrote out a list of things I would need to purchase for my shopping trip the following day, and even started sketching some ideas for the garden beds. At this point I figured I'd only plant annuals, I figured cheap and cheery potted colors would do a lot to brighten the front garden and wouldn't break the bank.

I had a simple dinner, grilled cheese and a tinned tomato soup. I balanced my plate and mug on my knees as I sat out on the white wooden bench on the back porch. Afterwards I remained, watching across the small grassy garden as the sky changed from swirling hues of pink and orange down to the turbid grays and dark blues of twilight. My dinner sat like a leadened lump in my belly, and I waited there quietly as night took, anxiously palming my cellphone - waiting for the right time to call. My body thrummed with nervousness, anticipation, even a little fear.

It was a few minutes after nine when I closed my eyes and sought out the bond inside of me. It was there far back in the recesses of my mind, but never forgotten. After nearly a decade it had weakened some, but forever a constant. It felt like a buzz at the edges of my awareness, a persistent reminder of my link back home here in Northern Louisiana, and my link to Mr Tall, Blond and Undead. Those first few months staying with Gisli at his seaside home in Kópavogur, he'd worked hard with me to shore up my shields, and at my request pull up a strong wall in my bond between Eric and I.

It was necessary, for the both of us really. Eric would always know that I was alive and safe, but not much more than that. He wouldn't know my exact location at any given time, especially due to the distance halfway across the world. No that anyone would be able to glean that information from him anyway, although I figured he would have used his contacts to work out where I was living. It also meant I would never be privy to his feelings or emotions, never be tempted to come back before I was ready. In fact, for most of the years I'd lived away I was sure I'd never come back at all. I had surprised myself at how happily I had settled into my quiet life in Iceland. I'd even come to enjoy their blistering winters.

There were, of course, a few times that the wall limiting our bond had slipped, but never for very long. A few of those times had been when I was in pain, and if it happened when it was night time in Louisiana then I would almost always contact Eric. Although, only through short texts to let him know I was alright. He never replied.

The shield I'd built blocking off the bond felt like a rusted old door. I could lean all my effort against it and it still wouldn't give. I guessed it was stuck shut so tightly because keeping it closed had become second nature to me. I took a deep breath to calm myself, done with my mental pussyfooting and exerted my will against it.

It took quite a bit of mental tugging to release the block and I tried my best to do it slowly so as not to feel overwhelmed, but unfortunately the best of intentions don't always lead to the desired outcomes. The shield collapsed with a startling velocity and at once I was hit by waves of lust, need and hunger. I rocked back on the bench, the phone slipping to the ground as I gripped the edges of my seat. Ew. I guess Eric was starting his night with a meal and a dalliance. His feelings quickly morphed into surprise, shock, and finally a strange mix of annoyance and anger. I probed the bond, sending what I hoped would be a ping of apology. His side of the bond snapped shut immediately.

I let out a huff and picked up my dropped phone, dialing Fangtasia. I keyed my way through the automated menu selecting the option that would ring through to the bar. It rang only once before the line was picked up.

"Welcome to Fangtasia, where _you_ are what _we_ eat."

"Hello Pam, glad to hear your puns are getting better."

"Well, if it isn't my favorite breather. I don't suppose you'd have anything to do with Eric throwing his office door off it's hinges and storming out?

My breath caught in my throat , and Pam laughed throatily.

"I hope you're back for good, Sookie. It's been far too boring without you." She disconnected the call and I stared at the phone in my hand worrying just what I had gotten myself into by coming home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited the story. I had a silly grin on my face all weekend. Nearly 200 visitors! Wowza.**

**For the time being I'm going to try and post a new chapter every two or three days. It will eventually slow down because I'm about to start my masters degree and I have jury duty from next week. **

**Chapter 2**

"_Each of us has his own rhythm of suffering." - Roland Barthes_

I took my dishes to the sink, taking my time to wash and rinse them so I could turn my focus to the bond. I had no sense of what he was feeling, but there was a pulling, shifting sensation to his presence. He was moving, coming closer and fast.

I stopped by my bedroom before heading outside and grabbed my oversized plum cardigan to wrap myself in. I buried my face in the soft knit, it still smelt like home in Iceland. A little like Gisli too. I sighed and slipped it on. I felt like maybe I could somehow protect myself by getting wrapped up in its warmth. Protect myself from what? I decided not to continue that line of thinking any further, especially with my estranged bonded vampire on his way.

The thought of protection did give me pause though, and on a whim I unzipped the internal flap of my suitcase and withdrew my Swiss dagger. Gisli had gifted it to me a year after I'd first arrived to learn under his tutelage. He had seen me admire his set of daggers a number of times, and was pleased with my affinity for training with them. This one was hand made, a stunning example of Demon craftsmanship, the curved blade a mix of silver and iron. The wooden handle was decorated with a delicate silver pattern set into the wood itself.

I was touched that my gruff part-demon tutor had gone to the effort to have a custom piece made just for me. I'd made only a few friends, none of them close, in the year I'd been there, but he'd been a great support and source of friendship. I'd kissed him on impulse. He had carried me to his bed that night and that's where I slept for the length of my stay in Kópavogur.

He was a handsome man in an unusual sort of way. Strangely deep hazel eyes, dark skin, striking features that were, to me, instantly otherworldly. Although others couldn't see it - couldn't see that he was not born of Earth, or by humans. Something about his magic meant that he could blend in with the regular folk, in much the same way as the Britlingen girls, Batanya and Clovache. Gisli said it was a mild form of skinwalking, he used just enough to simply fit in.

He wasn't quick to laugh or smile, but he was interesting company, thoughtful and expressive. He made me continually question myself, my abilities, and my every step. He shaped me for the better. He made me a fighter, well, at least a more skilled one. He also gave me the other half of my heart, little Finnur. Their loss still hurt now, but less so.

I placed the large dagger back into its leather sheath and strapped it on the leather belt around the waistband of my denim shorts. I flicked on the outside light as I slipped out quietly to the front porch. Sitting on the top step, I drew the chunky cardigan tightly around crickets and frogs were conducting a battle of the symphonies throughout the neighborhood and I rested my chin on my bare knees, enjoying the sensation of being saturated in the sounds of home.

When I felt him close in through bond, I cast out my mental net. Within a few minutes I detected the familiar void of a vampire brain, but it was somewhere very high up above. Eric was circling in the sky, trying to hone in on my presence through the bond.

He landed on the grass lawn without a sound. He straightened from his crouched position, whipping his hair back behind him. It caused the few drops of condensation that had gathered in his hair to send an arc of watery spray behind him. It was an impressive display.

My heart picked up in speed as he slowly approached, but I schooled my features so that I would give away none of my inner turmoil. If my poker face was good before, then it was world class now, but I had no doubt he would hear my heart racing fast like a hummingbird's wings.

He looked exactly as he always had, but even better than I remembered. Flaxen hair that was the same precise shade as mine, a defined jaw line that added to his air of authority, yet perfectly complimented his features, and a broad muscular body. He was even wearing his regular Fangtasia 'uniform' - black fitted jeans, black tank, and leather jacket. It was like a blast from the past, but given he'd lived for over 1000 years, I didn't suppose there could be any truer description than that. I worked hard to suppress the nervous giggle at that thought, although I felt the corner of my lips twitch.

He came to a standstill a half dozen away from me, his eyes piercing mine. I held his gaze as boldly as I could.

"You returned without informing me. Giving me time. That was foolish."

"Well, hello to you too."

"You have endangered yourself. I needed to make preparations to herald your return."

"It's not like I'm a visiting dignitary or member of the royal family, Eric."

Christ on a cracker, whatever welcome I was expecting from him, it certainly wasn't this. He folded his arms across his chest, his lips thinning in displeasure.

"No, you are a telepath in my retinue, who left suddenly at a politically volatile time. I worked hard to ensure your departure was possible. That you would be safe. Felipe has not made this easy. Neither Victor."

"Jesus, Eric," I sighed. "Can't you at least sit with me for a moment so we can catch up first? I haven't seen you for nearly ten years. I've had two long days getting here and getting settled... I don't want to launch myself back into this political vamp B.S. right at this very second." I ignored the pang of guilt at the trouble my departure must of caused him.

Niall, Claudine, and Mr Cataliades had me ambushed one cool morning nearly nine years earlier. The had arrived unannounced to my home and while I was still asleep in bed, no less. I sat quietly in the living area, covered in my floral dressing gown, and I listened as my great-grandfather, fairy godmother, and the man I soon discovered was the demon equivalent of my godfather, explained the dangers I would be facing if I remained in Bon Temps. If I remained in Louisiana. If I remained in the United States.

If their ploy was to catch me off guard in my sleep addled state, then it worked well. Niall impressed upon me the danger of myself, a part fairy, living so close to a fairy door when there were groups of fairies systematically torturing and killing anyone part fairy. I listened, horrified, as he explained the brutal nature of my grandfather Fintan's death. Breandan, Fintan's own cousin, had ripped Niall's son literally limb from limb simply for being half human. Things would get worse, not better, as the war continued.

Claudine held my hand comfortingly as she told me, in her sweet melodic voice, that she just had a bad feeling she couldn't shake, that something irrevocably bad would happen if I were to stay. Her eyes wavered with unshed tears, and she whispered that it would kill her if anything bad was to happen to me.

It was Mr C who cinched the deal on the intervention, though. He informed me of Felipe's intention of bringing me to Nevada, by force if need be, and that by staying I would not only be risking the lives of my friends and family around me, but of the vampires too who would fight to bring me home. The demon telepath then opened his mind to me and chilled my soul with his words.

_If you stay, it would be at great risk to your young nephew Hunter, Sookie. It won't take long for Victor to discover your connection with the late vampire queen and Hadley. To work out the depth of your interest in the young child. Hunter carries the spark also. Victor is a ruthless sycophant and won't hesitate to use any means to gain the upper hand against Eric. You must remove yourself from the equation. I have a duty to the young child too._

Outwardly, he explained that he had promised Gran to look after me and help me with my gift, and that he had been reticent in his duties, but he had arranged for a tutor in a safe location to school me in the arts of telepathy, and in fighting too if I wished. I'd be able return when the threat of the fairies had passed; when I could hold my own. I was given a day to decide, but it was no decision for me, not really. I would do what I needed to in order to keep those around me safe.

After the trio had left, I'd locked myself in my bedroom, much to the confusion of Amelia and Octavia, and spent the day lying in bed. I was rollercoastering from feelings of pity, self loathing and anger, through to capsizing bouts of grief and upset. I hated the thought of leaving home. Bon Temps and the farmhouse were as much a part of me as my blue eyes, blonde hair, and telepathy, but I could see no other option.

Niall, Claudine, and Mr Cataliades had backed me into a corner. I was furious they would emotionally blackmail me to leave on their own terms, but also terrified at the thought of what staying might mean. Either way I looked it, I couldn't say no.

Back in the present, my reverie was broken by Eric taking two large steps towards me. His face remained a cold mask, but his nostrils flared as he drew a deep breath. He blurred with sudden speed until he was crouched in front of me on the porch steps.

"You've aged extremely little, and you smell like… like, something more," he spoke quietly, pupils dilating.

He gently picked up my hand and drew it close to his face, pressing the tip of his cool nose to my palm and smelling deeply.

"Demon, and more fae," he confirmed softly to himself. His eyes were asking questions I wasn't comfortable answering, so I pulled my hand away from his grasp and sat it primly back in my lap.

"Those will fade with time. The demon scent will fade completely."

He accepted my answer with a nod, and came to sit beside me on the steps. We remained quiet for a minute looking out to the street. Now that he was close I felt my mouth run dry. There were a lot of loose ends that remained after my departure from Louisiana.

"You've been well?" I asked.

"As well as a vampire can be."

"How's business?"

"Busy. Pam has made many improvements. She now only helps out at Fangtasia on occasion, but she runs a sister bar in downtown Shreveport, on the restuarant and bar strip. It's very popular."

"Good for her. What's the bar called?"

"Glamour."

"I look forward to visiting it." I'd exhausted my talking points at this stage. My mind was drawing blanks. I let the silence fill the space between us.

"Getur þú tala íslensku núna?" He asked, startling me.

I let out a loud chuckle, it echoed across the street and his demeanor changed, a small smile gracing his lips. He released his end of the bond, perhaps not completely, but enough for me to experience the relief that his close proximity provided me and feel the mixture of amusement and worry coming from him.

"Ég hef lært smá. Nóg," I replied. "Það tölur sem þú getur talað það… It didn't occur to me that I'd be able to speak it again once I left." I was pleased at least one of my new skills wouldn't go to waste.

"You lived close to the veil." He didn't bother to phrase it as a question, he very well knew where I was living.

The veil he referred to was a particular area of Iceland, centered mostly around Kópavogur, where the spaces between many realms merged. The population of fairies, elves, demons and a large manner of other creatures was greater there than anywhere else in the world. It was something of a neutral zone for supes, and a common place to move from one realm to another. In order for that to be possible many treaties had been written between different species to enable safe passage through space and time. I'd lived a quiet life there guarded with Gisli, my hired tutor and protector, and it was a safe location for me. Especially while the fairy war was being waged.

"Yes. I don't think I've ever been somewhere with so many different supes, and barely any of them vampires," I said.

"We try to avoid there as a rule. It's incredibly dangerous given the population of elves and fairies. They do not take kindly to our presence. Any act of violence could be perceived as a call to war. Although many vampires have tried to settle there as the pull of fairy blood proves too alluring for many. It never lasts long, they are swiftly dealt with by our own kind who wish to keep the peace."

I nodded. I came across a couple of vampires while there, but both of them were ancient, and part of the self promoted 'peace keepers'. They were much more in control of their nature compared to younger vamps, who were often far too bloodlust-y for their own good around fairies.

"Well, Niall ensured that I'd remain alive by hiding me there. As far as I knew, he and Claudine were the only people in fairy who knew of my location… Even if others did, no one would dare attack for fear of a war against the demons." It was a real possibility too. Gisli, a member of Demon King's guard, was held responsible under the contract of my protection. A slight against me would have been considered a slight against the demon king. That threat became even more weighty when Gisli and I became a couple.

"And your demon kept you safe?" Eric could have been burning a hole in the front lawn for how intently he was staring at it. He was unnaturally still, waiting for my reply.

I nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. I didn't know how much he knew of my life there. Frankly, I was surprised he'd put the pieces together regarding Gisli and I. As far as I knew, only a handful of people had known. I shifted uncomfortably. I wasn't sure how much I'd ever be prepared to share with him about my time there.

"I felt your pain when he returned to his realm."

"How did you know?" I crooked my head at him curiously. The last time I recalled my end of the bond opening was during labor. I hadn't explained the cause of my pain, but afterwards sent him a message with reassurances that I was alright - and I was alright at the time, physically at least.

"I believe it happened when you were asleep. It felt... different from anything I've felt from you before." He was still studiously avoiding my gaze.

My eyes prickled with tears, and I focused intently on picking the fingernail I'd chipped while moving earlier that day. Eric was a jumble of emotions - disappointment, resignation, anger, confusion, against a backdrop of deeper and hard to read blends of feelings. Whoever said that vampires felt no emotion was spuriously wrong. They felt to great excess.

Even so, It had never occurred to me that my tight hold on the bond would lessen when I was sleeping. I was so exhausted after returning from Gisli's world, I was grieving deeply too. I had gone to see him off and lay little Finnur to rest. It made sense he would attribute the snapshots of my grief to the ending of my relationship with the demon.

How he knew enough of our relationship to refer to him as mine was beyond me, but at least his admission revealed that he'd not of known about the pregnancy. So, he certainly could not of known about the birth of little Finnur, or his quiet passing, a few short hours later.

"Does it still happen?" I asked, studying his face. The shadows were casting angular shapes across his profile, he could have been painted by an artist from the modern era. Something cubist.

"On occasion."

I nodded, unsure how to respond.

"You loved him?" He asked. I thought back to that time in the hospital bed, Finn's tiny fingers curled around mine and a swell of sorrow erupted without warning from deep inside my chest. Without thinking, my hand shot out and clasped Eric's. Damned bond. He let me leave it there.

"I loved Gisli the best I could." I said, after carefully choosing my words. "He was… dear to me. I knew it would end. His contract was bulletproof, nothing could be done to extend his stay any longer. I accepted that from the beginning. Iceland was full of hard lessons, though." I sighed. "No matter where I am, there is change and pain... and surprises. I can't ever escape that."

I relaxed the hold on my emotions and let them be tempered against the calm from our physical connection. Eric shifted a fraction closer and I leant my head against his arm. I enjoyed the scent of leather from his jacket mixed with his own familiar cool scent.

"Change is the only constant," he murmured.

"Heraclitus," I said. I felt, rather than saw, his smile.

"There is a lot of time to read in Iceland," I said. "Especially in winter. Gisli threw out all my romance novels as soon as I arrived. Can you believe he banned them? I was so mad." I laughed softly. "He owned a ton of of books on philosophy; insisted I read them. I can't wait to read something trashy now I'm home." I swiped away the stray tear that had escaped as Eric laughed. It was a warm rumbling sound.

"I'm glad you haven't changed," I told him, meaning absolutely every word.

He turned to look at me, eyebrow raised. "I might surprise you."

"We'll see."

I invited Eric in and he sprawled out on the settee while I heated a True Blood for him. I was happy to have thought ahead and purchase it on my small shopping trip.

"Sorry if I interrupted your meal tonight," I said. I placed the True Blood on a napkin on the coffee table for him.

"It's no matter." He retrieved it and leaned back, bottle in hand, looking completely at home and oversized on the small piece of furniture.

I opened a cold beer from the fridge and sat on the opposite end of the settee. He glanced at my beverage, and raised a questioning brow at me. I think the only time he ever saw me drinking was at his bar.

"A girl has her vices," I explained as demurely as possible before taking a sip. He grinned fangily back at me in reply, taking a long draw of his blood. I felt my cheeks stain with blush and I mentally pushed aside any unspoken connotations. I definitely - _most definitely_ \- did my best to not react to the blast of lust I felt from his end. "You better tell me what's been happening here since I've been gone. Politically speaking. What am I getting myself back into?"

"You're back permanently?" I detected a sense of strain and anticipation coming from him as he waited for my answer.

"I believe so. I've avoided being pulled into the fray while the fairy war was going. I've learnt to fight a little. Worked on my telepathy. I'm ready to be home… I have nowhere else to be." I felt him relax, although his expression retained its usual cool look of indifference.

"Felipe still has his interests split between Nevada, Louisiana, and Arkansas," he explained. "There have been rumblings that he is ready to seize Alabama as there is only a small contingent of vampires there and they are considered one of the weaker states, but Felipe is spread too thin as it is. He can't handle another state.

"For the most part we have held an uneasy truce since the reparations of your departure were agreed upon. Victor, however, has been working hard to undermine my business interests in an attempt to -"

"Reparations?" I interrupted, tripping up on the word in his explanation.

"When you left, Felipe was unhappy that he lost an asset, one he had yet to utilize, one he was keen to keep close with him in Nevada. He wasn't pleased, but tolerated your disappearance provided I made up for it monetarily."

"You should have told me." I said, unable to hide the annoyance from my voice. He shook his head emphatically.

"I saw the sense in your departure. Things were too unstable here... And you already know I was unhappy you left, particularly as we never got a chance to have our talk." He shot me a significant look. The label of my beer bottle had suddenly become extremely interesting. The month or so before I left Bon Temps, Eric had finally regained his memories from his cursed time with me. It was a conversation I had been determinedly avoiding. In fact, I'd avoided it for nearly a decade now.

I was a little older and wiser now, so I didn't mind discussing with him the few days I was shacked up with his amnesiac vampire self, but I felt guilty I had been petty enough to not do it before leaving. I'm sure he'd had many questions he wanted to ask me. Those days felt like another life ago. I hoped he considered it water under the bridge.

"So, I didn't want to burden you further," he said, drawing me from my thoughts. I turned my attention back to him, trying to subdue my feelings of exasperation. I wasn't an idiot, that fact he didn't tell me was nothing to do about not wanting to 'burden' me and everything to do with knowing how I would react to it. I was more than a little chafed that I was only finding out now.

"How much has it cost you?" I asked.

"It's no matter."

"Eric! You have to tell me. How. Much." I glared across at him, but he blinked in an unaffected and entirely unnecessary manner.

"Pam informs me that it is poor etiquette for humans to inquire in matters regarding money."

I slammed my bottle down on the coffee table, amber liquid sloshing messily over the rim.

"This is a matter regarding me! I can't let you pay for my decision to leave. Tell me how much."

He shrugged and took another sip from his bottle, infuriatingly nonchalant. I felt angry. Guilty. Pissed off. I got ready to jump up my feet ready to let him have it.

A large, deep thump on the roof above us interrupted my next words and we both jumped up in alarm. The anger that was bearing down on me only moments before was now replaced by a coiling panic in my chest. There was someone on the roof.

"What the hell was that?" I raced to the back screen door and pulled it open. Eric caught me by the arm at the last second and jerked me back in.

"Wait," he hissed. We stood motionless, and I strained to listen for more movement over head. The whispered hush of the breeze and the call of the nightlife filled the air, but delivered no clue as to the source of the loud thud. I could feel a mind on the roof above us, but it was a mess of movement and buzzing. No one I knew, and no species I recognized.

"I'm going out," I whispered, pulling away from his grasp. I stepped through onto the porch and the sudden sound of footsteps pounding across the tin roof sent me racing forward on instinct to get out of the way before the intruder jumped down.

I launched myself off the back patio steps and cried out in surprise as Eric tackled me down to the ground. I landed with a thud into the dewy grass and felt the jolt as another set of feet landed next to us.

Eric was up on his feet quicker than I could register, crouched in an attack stance, putting himself between me and the intruder. I scuttled back towards the shadows of the garden, my fingers sinking uselessly into the damp earth as I struggled to create a bit more distance between the intruder and I.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Eric growled.

I couldn't see the intruder clearly, although the light shining from the open door provided some illumination. The short and stout silhouette of my would-be attacker was visible, and holding what appeared to be a short sword. Eric and the intruder began circling each other. I slowly got to my feet, and crouched down in a readied position. I withdrew my dagger and squeezed it nervously, awash with adrenalin and trepidation.

"You'd be wise to put your fangs away before I slice yer head off, vampire." The voice was feminine, with the distinctive brogue of a Irish accent, and there was no mistaking the venom in her words.

Eric snarled and dived for her with inhuman speed, but she darted easily to the side, similar to how I'd seen dragonflies flitting across the reeds around the pond growing up. It was unnatural. Eric landed on the grass and rolled to his feet, and she darted forward to him. She jumped high and flitted close so she was above his head. With a deft swipe, the attacker brought the hilt of her sword crashing down against the back of his head. Eric collapsed face first to the ground.

The sound of the hilt connecting with his skull was a sickening crack and it spurred me to action. I leaped forward, launching myself hard off my feet and I landed on her back just as she landed her feet on the ground. The attacker collapsed down to her knees at my sudden weight, and I used my advantage to pull her head roughly to the side and press the tip of my blade into her neck.

"What did you do to him?" I cried, my voice raised and hysterical.

The woman let out a loud barking laugh and with a slight shake, threw my off her shoulders. I landed hard into the grass next to Eric, my dagger slipping from my grip and tumbling just out of reach. She was inhumanly strong, she had shaken me off the way a dog shakes off water after a swim.

Eric lay prone and unmoving. I watched in shock, as she regarded him for a moment, and I slowly climbed to my feet. I was relieved that she wasn't paying much attention to my movements, and I used the opportunity to snatch my dagger back, retreating a half dozen paces away.

She grabbed Eric by the collar and pulled him up easily so that she was looking at him face to face. His head lolled around like a rag doll's, eyes closed. She hadn't delivered a heavy blow to Eric. He shouldn't even be unconscious. Could vampires even get unconscious? Either way, the way she hit him should not have incapacitated a vampire.

She approached me, pulling his limp body behind her. His knees dragged uselessly against the ground. I squat down into position, ready to fight. The thudding of my heart was drowning out my noisy panting, and my eyes fought desperately to seek more definition in the dark surrounds - to find anything that could give me an advantage.

I wasn't a fool though. This was it. She bested a 1000 year old vamp in a matter of seconds. It was too late for me. I was an idiot for coming back and thinking I could handle whatever life threw at me. I choked at the injustice of it.

The woman stopped a few feet in front of me and dropped Eric in a heap before me.

"Was the vampire bothering you?" She asked airily. I could see more of her features now that she was closer. Dark hair pulled tight into a high bun. Round face, with ruddy, but not unpretty features. She wore tan leather armor across her chest that continued down to hip height, with another matching panel covered most of her thighs, like a skirt. She still held her sword, but now it was dangling loosely by her side.

"Well?" She prompted, sounding impatient.

"No," I said, my voice a hoarse croak.

"I could hear you both quarreling. I wanted to wait and introduce myself to you once the sun was up, but I felt I probably ought to step in." She shrugged and kicked Eric in the leg, it seemed half for the annoyance he caused her and half to check if he was still unconscious.

I looked either way and saw no viable escape route. I really didn't want to have any up close and personal introductions with this sword wielding woman. I could run down to the bottom of the property and hope to jump the fence, or run around the cottage and up the drive. While I felt I had pretty decent running skills, especially given the demon blood that was flowing in my veins, something about the way this woman darted around inhumanly made me suspect that it wouldn't matter how fast I ran. The fact she dispatched Eric with only a hit of her sword, and not even the blade, terrified me more than anything.

She took a step towards me, moving over Eric's body and I jumped back, stumbling on my feet.

"Get back!" I cried. I felt for her mind, it was buzzing much like a demon's would, but strangely throbbing in and out with energy. I'd never come across anything like it before. I exerted my will against her, trying to squeeze the energy source of her brain in an attempt to incapacitate her, or at least cause her pain.

She flittered my mental efforts away with a wave of her free hand. I gasped and stumbled, my mind released from hers like a rubber band snapping back.

She laughed suddenly and heartily. "I can tell Gisli has been teaching you. You're tenacious."

"Gisli?" I tried to catch my breath. "You know him?"

"He sent me!" She bounced up and down on her heels in a cheery manner. My heart rate began to slow down.

"You're not here to kill me?"

"No, little telepath."

I wasn't sure why I believed her, but at that moment I could see no reason why she would deceive me. She held the power, she didn't have to lie. I saw how easily she downed Eric, she didn't need to waste time by talking if she wanted to kill me.

With a scrape, she slipped her sword into the scabbard strapped over her shoulder.

"I'm your bodyguard." She held out her hand to shake mine.

"Bodyguard?" I stared at her proffered hand blankly. She sighed melodramatically.

"D'ye not know you have a bounty on yer head, girl?"

"...A bounty?" I echoed. Instead of shaking my hand, she reached across and gently shut my gaping mouth shut with her finger.

"Aye. Now c'mon. Help me move this big undead oaf. That is, unless you want me to leave him here to burn to a crisp at dawn?"

I didn't need to be asked twice.

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**Hope you enjoyed this new installment. Please tell me what you think. **

**Translations made via Google Translate. I can't guarantee they are perfect.**

**Eric: Can you speak Icelandic now?  
Sookie: I learned a little. Enough. It figures that you can speak it…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Since this chapter is short, I've decided to upload chapter 4 also - so you'll get a double whammy today. **

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**Chapter 3**

_Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. - Helen Keller_

Eric's phone started ringing as we began hauling him inside. It was the catchy hook of Fancy by Iggy Azalea looped over and over. As soon as it rang out it began again. After we moved him onto my bed I withdrew Eric's phone from his pocket. The broad Irish woman eyed me warily from the doorway as I patted Eric down searching for the phone, although her eyes twinkled with humor.

"Pam," I said, answering the phone during her third attempt at ringing.

"Where's Eric?" She snarled.

"He's currently... Out of action."

"Explain. Is he in danger?" Her voice with strained with controlled fury. If she could have, I had no doubt Pam would have reached through the phone to squeeze me by the neck.

"I don't think so. He seems fine. He's unconscious on my bed."

"That's not possible."

"You'll have to take that up with my bodyguard."

"Where are you?"

I gave her my address and she disconnected the phone without a word. I stuffed the phone back into Eric's pocket, and pulled the curtains shut across the bedroom window. Dawn was still many hours away, but at least no one would be able to look in and see the resting vampire in my bedroom.

"What did you do to him?" I asked again. The Irish woman jerked her head down the hall towards the living room and I followed her as she walked out of the room.

"Don't worry. Nothin' permanent," she said as she walked. She had a large purposeful stride that made the floor shake. "He might wake up with a pounding head tomorrow night, but he'll survive." She chuckled to herself.

"I didn't think it was that easy to down a vampire."

"It's not normally. Not unless you have an enchanted sword." She looked over her shoulder and winked. "I only really needed to touch him with the hilt to knock him out, but I didn't like his manner with me. He should be more polite with female company. We are the fairer sex, after all."

I seriously doubted that the outdated adage applied to this crazily strong and muscular Irish woman. She flopped down onto the settee and placed her sandalled feet up onto the coffee table. I bristled at her uncouth behavior, but decided there were more important things to worry about rather than the etiquette of my uninvited guest.

I crossed my arms and stared down at her.

"You better explain who you are and what you're doing here. I'm tired and I've had it with people cryptic tonight."

She leaned back unperturbed, and folded her hands behind her head in a manner that reminded me of Eric. Lord, help me.

Her milky pale skin had a smattering of brown freckles across her nose and cheeks, and although she was wrinkle free she seemed to be somewhere in her late thirties, maybe older. She looked human to me, but on the same hand not really human at all. It was unnerving, and I couldn't quite pick what it was; a distinct otherness that made her unique. My impression of her mind when I'd attacker her earlier confirmed that suspicion.

"My name is Mell. Well, actually, my birth name is something different entirely. I earned this name due to my skittered movements. It means lightning. My original name meant 'sweet and fair'," her nose wrinkled in distaste. "Could you think of anything more daft than that for me? It hardly seems fitting for a Bánánach."

"I'm sorry," I blinked. "A... What?

"Bánánach." She repeated the word again slowly. "I'm every man and woman's worst nightmare on the battlefield. You might know me better as a banshee. An omen of death. My official role is to haunt the battlefield. In ages past, soldiers would fall asleep every night praying they wouldn't see me in battle the next day, and then they would weep upon the mere sight of me."

She giggled, like she was sharing a silly anecdote from a summer vacation. My legs felt suddenly wobbly and I sunk down beside her on the couch, wondering why the hell I'd let this woman willingly into my home. She was unhinged.

"Why did they fear you?"

"I had the ability to turn the battle to my favoured side. I was an assassin, called in by the strongest leader to end a battle that was drawing on too long. To behead each remaining man on the losing side, and turn those I missed mad with insanity." She laughed again, and I blanched.

"You had the ability? As in past tense?" I held my breath.

Her dark eyes twinkled and she nodded. "My, my, you are a perceptive young one. War has changed in the last century. No longer do you see acre after acre of bloody battlefields, of men fighting hand to hand. No great armies charging ruthlessly at each other. War is now fought with technology and large anonymous weapons. There's no fun in it anymore."

"I don't think there's ever been anything fun in the act of war."

She scoffed disbelievingly and shrugged, her leather armor creaking. "That's simply a matter of tastes. Wars in the other realms have changed too, you know... They are too strategized, too politicized. It's just boring. So I opted for a midlife career change. So here I am, a bodyguard."

I frowned, a million questions forming in my head. "Well, that seems like a step down. Why did Gisli send you? I don't understand. Who put a bounty on my head?"

"Gisli wasn't sure. He heard enough to know you'd needed to be kept safe." She patted my hand sympathetically. "Don't worry your pretty mortal head about it. Just know it's my job to protect yer arse."

I nodded, chewing thoughtfully on my lip. She looked at me expectantly, waiting for more questions.

"Is Gisli doing okay?" I finally asked.

"He seemed well enough, I suppose. He ordered my services through his work in the King's guard. I only stopped by the King's court to visit with him briefly after my services had been requested. Oh, and he gave me this."

She slipped a hand under the armor of her breastplate. She removed an envelope and handed it to me. The paper was thick and smooth, the forest green seal of the demon ruler, King Zagan, set in thick wax on the back. I lifted the wax seal carefully and withdrew the letter. Mell looked suddenly curious so I turned away from her.

_Sookie,_

_Danger lurks sooner than expected. Trust Mell, as well as your knowledge and training. _

_She will stay until the threat is eliminated, but it will be the strength of your abilities and your spirit keep you safe for the length of your natural life. Don't hesitate to act. _

_Fate leads him who follows it, and drags him who resist. _

_Gisli, son of Groth_

_Royal King's Guard_

_1st Legion of Binemach _

I reread the letter three times. Absorbing the words, hunting for hidden meaning. The quote on fate was Plutarch from memory, although I could've been wrong.

I slipped the letter into my shorts pocket and shirked my cardigan. It was damp and covered in dirt. I took it to the laundry, depositing it in the sink. I'd have to hand wash it in the morning.

I heard Mell switch on the TV and flick to the news, muttering to herself about catching up on the middle east and I decided to leave her to it. Her macabre tastes disturbed me completely. I waited at the bottom of the front steps for Pam.

She pulled up ten minutes later, tires squealing as she turned into my driveway. Gone was the powder blue minivan, its replacement a powder blue Nissan Micra.

She was out of the car quicker than my eyes could register and she had me held by the throat before I could blink, my toes dangling off the ground.

"Where is he?" She snarled. I couldn't choke out the words, but attempted to point back towards the house. She let me go at the same time Mell opened the front door and I crashed in a heap at her feet. I rubbed my neck wincing, hoping it wouldn't be bruised tomorrow.

Pam stalked up the steps, pulling up the hem if her patent leather skirt in order to stomp up in her red stilettos.

"Hello Caoilinn," she snapped at Mell. "It somehow makes perfect sense that you should be here. Invite me in, Sookie."

Mell drew her sword and held it out to Pam.

"Not so fast, Pamela. I can't let you in without you swearing your good intentions to my charge."

"Don't test me, banshee. You might have pulled a fast one on my maker, but I know your tricks."

I came to stand beside Pam as the two stared each other down. I huffed impatiently after a few moments.

"Oh, for goodness sake! And people call me stubborn. Pam, you can come in, just don't rip my head off. Mell, go sit back down. She won't do anything."

Mell lowered her sword slowly, and took a step back allowing us entry.

"Caoilinn?" I asked Mell as we passed.

"I told you me given name was ridiculous," she grumbled, before heading back to the living area.

I followed Pam into the bedroom and she perched on the edge of the bed by Eric, placing her small pale palm against his cheek.

"She touched him with her sword?" She asked me, her eyes never leaving his unmoving form. Her white blonde hair fell around her face like a leucous halo.

"Yes. She said he would wake normally at dusk tomorrow." Pam seemed to accept this response.

"Not even back five minutes and already causing trouble, Sookie."

"It would seem so," I muttered, sitting down beside her, the old bed creaking.

Pam tutted and patted my knee, a small smirk pulling at her lips. "It's not a bad thing."

Pam was all business from there on out. With no built in wardrobe or basement in the house to hide Eric in, she conceded that leaving him in the bedroom for the day was still probably safest, provided she could lightproof the room. No one in the supe community was aware I was back or where I lived, and there was good deal of risk associated with moving the unconscious vampire to another location. As long as he was out to it he was an easy target.

She brought in a number of large blue plastic sheets from her car. I guess even if you drove a powder blue hatchback you always had to be prepared for the worst (i.e. body disposal).

Using a roll of movers' tape I had left over, we covered the windows as thoroughly as possible with the plastic sheets. I hung a sheet over the bedroom door that would block the light but still allow me access in and out, a little like a shower curtain. At Pam's request, I maneuvered my pickup slowly along the grass on the front lawn, praying I wouldn't be tearing up the grass in the process, and shone the lights on high beam against the bedroom window. Pam zipped out a moment later and met me on the lawn, looking triumphant.

"It's lightproof."

I'm not sure how Mell and Pam knew each other, but they seemed to. So, when I showed Pam my letter from Gisli with the royal seal she was placated enough, well, as much as Pam could be - which meant she threatened Mell with a slew of grisly deaths if she harmed Eric in anyway. Mell simply laughed and said, "Ya feckin' fangers are all the same.", before turning back to the 24 hour news station.

I was able to get Mell to grudgingly promise to look after Eric and not harm him, although she honestly didn't seem too bothered either way. I felt a knot of worry form in my stomach. She might of been here at Gisli's behest, but she seemed too much of a wildcard. I didn't think I could leave Eric's side until dark the following day. Not that the thought bothered me too much, I was still jetlagged and fatigued from the events of the day. I wanted to spend the whole day sleeping, if I could.

Pam declined a blood when I offered, explaining that while she was just _dying_ to catch up and hear all about my stay in Iceland, in particular the gritty details of my relationship with a hunky demon warrior, she did have to attend to her duties back at Fangtasia for Eric. Especially before Thalia snapped and killed one of her adoring fans.

I couldn't tell if she was joking or not, and from what I remembered of the ancient Greek vampire, it frankly wouldn't have surprised me.

I walked her out to the car and Pam opened the driver side door before turning to me.

"You know, the banshee is useless without her sword. The magic has no channel without her holding it and she has nothing to amplify her magic without it."

"Okay... That's good to know," I said, storing the tidbit of information away for another day. "How did she knock Eric unconscious?"

"Banshees are a type of malevolent imp. They use their sword to immobilize their prey before killing them."

"That sounds awful. She's like a spider wasp. How do you know her?"

"I came across her a couple of times when I was in Ireland back in the 70s," she grinned at me fangily. "She's fiesty."

I rolled my eyes in response. "Good night, Pam. It's been good to see you."

I stepped away, but she grabbed my hand at the last second. I sent her a questioning glance and her face softened. For that moment her youthful features looked lovely and kind.

"I'm glad you're back. I missed you, my friend... but I'll skin you alive if you tell anyone I said that."

That Pam, always with the heartwarming sentiment.

"How sweet of you. I'm glad I'm back too, but I'll be even gladder when I'm asleep." I squeezed her hand affectionately and started towards the house.

"He waited for you, Sookie," she called, once I reached the top step of the porch.

"Sorry?" I turned back to look at her.

"He wanted to leave Shreveport. He's become tired of life in Louisiana, of dealing with Victor. He only stayed because of you. To wait for you."

I didn't know what to say to that. It didn't matter anyway, as Pam was already driving away.

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**Notes:**

**A Bánánach is an actual creature of Irish folklore. They're described as fairies in Irish mythology, but it didn't suit my purposes for this story, so I changed it a little. **

**Also, Kópavogur, where Sookie lived in Iceland, is home to the 'hidden' folk, otherwise known as elves. It's pretty interesting should you decide to look it up. I liked how it fitted with this story, so I expanded it. **

**Thanks for reading. Click next to get started on Chapter 4, but don't forget to review and tell me what you think! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work. - Horace_

Mell had her head in the fridge when I entered the house. She held an open bottle of beer in one hand and a block of cheese in the other. She looked up and grinned at me, looking ridiculous in her strange ancient garb beside the modern amenities of the kitchen.

"Don't forget to lock the door," she said, taking a large bite from the cheese block.

I narrowed my eyes at her before turning back and snapping the deadbolt shut.

"That's disgusting. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"That's the thing with being ageless," she shrugged. "I've no mother. I've always just been."

I had no idea how to even begin to make sense of that. Even my brain was tired from the long day.

"Well, don't get too comfortable." I said, pushing past her to return the cheese to the fridge and to shut its door. "You can stay on the couch tonight. I don't have a spare blanket for you and I don't know how far away you're staying, but this will have to do until morning."

"No, that's OK. I've already set up my bedroom here."

"Excuse me?"

"You can go take a look."

I practically ran up the hall and when I pushed open the door to the spare room it swung hard and hit the inside wall with a bang. I stared, mouth agape at the room. I could swear up and down that it had been empty only hours earlier, but now it was completely furnished.

A large four poster bed sat in the centre, covered in charcoal gray striped cotton sheets. A leather La-Z-Boy recliner sat in the corner beside a large wooden wardrobe. There was even a taupe shaggy rug on the floor.

"How on earth did you do this?" I pressed my hand on my chest, to try and stave my feelings of shock.

"Oh, ya know... We mythical folk have our ways." She looked chuffed at my reaction.

"Jesus Christ Shepherd of Judea... So what? You're living here now?"

"Of course I'm fecking living here! How else can I _guard_ your _body_ unless I'm close to you at all times?"

I groaned and pinched my nose. Where the hell was this woman when I was hauling boxes with Sam all afternoon?

"You're taking this better than Gisli said you would," she said, taking a swig.

"Don't push me, Mell," I said, snatching the bottle of beer from her. "And don't touch my food. Or mess up the common areas."

I stomped back down to the kitchen and tipped the rest of her beer down the sink. I also cleaned up the half finished blood and beer that Eric and I were enjoying before being so rudely interrupted.

Mell sat up on the kitchen counter watching me with amusement, cleaning her sword with a soft cloth, her feet swinging under her.

"Sweet dreams!" She called in a sing-song voice as I stomped back up the hall to the bedroom. It was petty, but I still got a sense of satisfaction from slamming the bedroom door.

Eric hadn't moved from his position, although his hair had flopped down over his face. I crouched by my drawers and opened one of the cardboard boxes from the farmhouse, searching for something to sleep in. Everything I'd brought back from Iceland was far too warm for a Louisiana summer's night.

I found a thin baby yellow cotton nightgown half way down the box. It was soft with delicate lace edging and smelled slightly musty after years in storage. I'd need to go through everything over the next few days and decide what I was tossing and what would need to be washed, although the nightgown would have to do for now.

I showered in the small bathroom across the hall, and while it helped slough away the fatigue and stress of the day, it also made me sorely miss the bathroom at the farmhouse. That old clawfoot bath was gloriously deep. What I would have given to be relaxing in the tub at that moment.

I sunk under the covers in bed with a grateful sigh. I turned so I was face to face with Eric, and I brushed the hair carefully off his forehead, examining his relaxed features. I could see no hint of the ruthless predator that he was. All the hardness from around his eyes was gone and it left him looking far too innocent for his own good.

He reminded me of the memoryless Eric who had spent that week shacked up with me long ago. I guess tonight was a repeat of that time, in some small way. I smoothed the shallow frown line on his forehead with my finger. It was the only evidence of toil he carried over from life as a human, other than his broad hands.

I rolled away from him, tugging the blankets up from under his dead weight and closed my eyes. My legs jittered restlessly, I was still tense from Mell's unexpected arrival and the news she brought with her.

Who the heck would put a bounty on my head? Why was I even important enough to warrant one? Surely it couldn't be Felipe. Maybe Victor? How would he even have known I was home? I was far too comfortable living my sheltered existence in Kópavogur. It was easy there… and boring, but at least I didn't have to go to sleep wondering if I was going to die the next day.

I lowered my shields to give my mind a chance to fully relax, but found the incessant buzzing coming from Mell was too distracting, even when I turned the mental volume down low. It was like television static, cutting through the noise of everything else. I reached back behind me and grabbed Eric's arm, pulling it over my waist. I felt for Eric in my mind and slipped into the sinking silence that his void offered. I fell asleep moments later.

It was after lunch when I rose for the day. I dressed into a dusky blue sundress and braided my hair back, since it was still kinky from falling asleep with it wet. Eric hadn't burned to a crisp, so that was encouraging, but I made sure to check the coverings on the windows again and threw my dressing gown completely over him for good measure. I hoped he wouldn't' mind. It's not like he could suffocate.

I walked into the kitchen and was surprised to find that it housed new additions, just like the second bedroom had. Dining table and chairs, bar stools, and a coffee maker. Mell flittered in half a second later, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary.

"I thought you'd like that. I heard you were a coffee fiend."

I kept my features impassive and examined the machine. It was the newer version of one I'd bought when I first moved to Iceland. Mell handed me a bag of coffee grounds and the fresh smell of life kicked my manners into order. She may have been rude last night, but I was being ungracious to my houseguest.

"Thank you, Mell." I turned and flashed her a smile. "I can't say I appreciate you showing up unannounced, and thanks for looking out for me. You really don't need to provide the coffee machine and furniture though, I have it all packed away in the barn at my farmhouse."

"Don't be daft. I have more money than I know what to do with. I like shopping anyway."

"This is too excessive. Seriously. Everything I need is in storage only a five minute drive away."

"Aye, right, and how long before you drag that dusty stuff out and get it set up? It's not like you can leave the house any time soon today. And like I said, I enjoy shopping. So just relax."

"When did you go shopping this morning?" I didn't remember hearing her leave. I pulled off the grouphead from the machine and spooned some grounds in, tamping it down tight. I set it back in the machine and Mell handed me a glass to place under it. It was one of those fancy double walled coffee glasses. She only smiled wider at the look of consternation I shot her way.

"Oh no, I had this waiting and ready to go."

"Where?"

"Elsewhere," she said evasively. I could tell that was the most I would get out of her.

I sat out on the porch and drank my coffee. Mell wandered out a minute later and handed me a warm beignet on a plate. I set my mug down and accepted the pastry with a smile.

"I don't suppose I want to know where you got this from?" I took a large bite, enjoying the flavor of the buttery pastry. It had been a long ten years between me and my last beignet.

"Probably not, no." I sent her a mock glare and we finally broke the tension with a mutual laugh.

"Here," she said. "You missed something in the letter last night." She handed me the envelope from Gisli.

"You can't just go through my things, Mell," I admonished, with more than a flare of annoyance. I had placed the letter in the top shelf of my chest of drawers.

"Jesus, woman. Just look inside."

I looked inside the envelope. There beside the letter was another smaller envelope made of a pearlescent cardstock. I withdrew it and opened it slowly, feeling exposed under Mell's watchful gaze. Inside, I discovered another note along with a delicate silver chain. I held up the chain and Mell ooh'd and aah'd appreciately.

One end of the chain joined onto a thumbnail sized silver ring, and that was linked with a smaller silver ring which attached to the other end of the chain. It was dainty and timeless in its simple style. I opened the accompanying note.

_He will always be a part of you. _

My eyes welled as the significance of the necklace dawned on me. Baby Finnur would forever be linked to me, even in his absence - like the smaller silver ring was linked to the larger one. I wiped my eyes before the hot tears dropped onto the paper. Mell gently took the necklace from my hand and moved to put it on me, her stout fingers moving with surprising dexterity.

"He must of loved you a lot."

"He cared for me deeply. I'm not sure if he was exactly in love with me, but he would have put his life on the line for me regardless of his contract, and I would have done the same for him."

"That means a lot coming for a demon." It really did. Outside of any protection work, for a demon (be it part blooded like Gisli, of full blooded) to offer to spill their blood for another was a rare gift.

"I know."

I spent the day working on my obscene amount of washing. I found the work cathartic and I filled the left over moving boxes with items to donate. Mell dispatched these while I wasn't looking. The boxes just simply disappeared from the dining table while I was out of the room. She assured me she donated them. I wasn't so sure and felt more than a little creeped out at her unknown powers.

At sunset, I leaned on the wall beside the bedroom door with a warmed True Blood ready in hand, waiting for Eric to wake up. The bond flared to life a millisecond before he woke and he jumped up snarling, head darting backward and forward.

"Relax, Eric." I said holding out the blood. "There's no danger. She was sent to protect me."

His fangs were down and his eyes were clouded with rage. He stalked over and snatched the blood from my hand, guzzling it in one go.

"Fucking banshee," he spat, dropping the bottle. He blurred past me and I grabbed the bottle off the floor before chasing him down the hall. He had Mell by the throat up against the front door. The wooden door had splintered around her from impact. I tried to jump in between them, but neither of them seemed to notice my attempts at pushing them apart. Both had their teeth bared and Eric looked ready to drain her dry.

"I won't stand for your tricks, dirty imp. I'll drain you and tear you limb from limb."

"Eric, stop it!" I pushed uselessly at his chest, and he continued to stare her down, unflinching and unaware of my presence. I growled in frustration and on a whim, swung the empty True Blood hard against the door frame. Glass exploded in a cloud of shards and Mell dropped to the ground with a thud. She flittered away to the other side of the room, rubbing her neck and sword ready in her hand.

"Ya feckin' vampire. Don't test me or I'll slice your neanderthal head clean off your neck!" She sounded vicious, although I could see the pale wash of panic in her eyes. "You're only lucky I promised to look after your undead arse!"

Eric looked ready to attack her again and I stepped directly into his line of sight.

"Eric, she's fine. Just relax." I placed my hands on his chest, sending him every ounce of my reassurance. Eric's gaze dropped from Mell's to mine and his fangs snicked back in.

"Who sent her?"

"Her demon lover, that's who," called Mell cattily and entirely unhelpfully.

"That's enough, Mell!" I snapped.

Eric's eyes dropped to the silver necklace around my neck and I felt a tide of discontent, or something close to it, coming through his side of the bond. The frown line I had smoothed many hours earlier deepened. I dropped my hands away from him and the bond closed between us forcefully.

"Keep your phone on you. I will call when preparations have been made." The door was swinging open and where Eric had stood was now just empty space.

My phone began ringing a second later and I grabbed it off the kitchen counter, surprised at how quickly Eric was actually calling. It was Pam.

"Hi Pam." I sighed, hopping up onto the wooden stool. "How do you even have my number?"

"I took the liberty of programming all your favorite contacts onto your phone."

"You know, it's beginning to really annoy me that everyone seems to think it's perfectly okay to help themselves to my private belongings."

"No need to get upset, Sookie. It's not like you have any naked selfies on your phone. Believe me, I had a good look."

"I bet you did." I grumbled, resting my forehead against my fist. "How can I help you, Pam? Eric just left."

"I'm coming to collect you in an hour. You will read the minds of my staff at the new bar, Glamour."

"It's nicer if you ask, Pam."

"Why ask when I know you'll say yes anyway?"

She had a point.

The fair haired vampire arrived precisely one hour later, dressed in a long red strapless gown, featuring a tall slit that ran provocatively high up her leg. She looked like a pale, blonde haired version of Jessica Rabbit.

"Well, that's a little different to your usual dominatrix cum Morticia Addams outfits you usually wear."

"This is still just to look the part, but I do look great, don't I?" She twirled on the spot and shot me a fangy smile.

I opted for a more reserved outfit, black slacks, silk blouse in mauve, and black kitten heels. I left the dagger in my nightstand, although I had a had a small arsenal in my purse - tazer, butterfly knife, and of course, a small stake. I would never forget my near fatal run in with Longshadow the first time I worked for vampires.

Pam noticed my silver necklace, her eyes flicking briefly down at it as we walked to her car, and the corner of her red painted lips twitched upward. Mell met us outside, surprisingly without armor and dressed in a short forest green frock and matching wedge heels. Her dark hair was out tumbling around her shoulders. She looked like a muscled version of Poison Ivy.

Her sword was still strapped over her shoulder, but somehow seemed to suit the whole outfit.

"People won't think it's odd you're walking around with a sword strapped to your back?" I asked the woman.

"Only if they notice," she said, slipping into the backseat if the Micra.

"Are you always so cryptic?" I huffed hopping into the front seat alongside Pam. We'd been driving for some miles before I spoke up again.

"Any idea exactly what Eric needs to do in order to prepare for my return?"

"He's probably changing his sheets and hosing down ten years' worth fangerbanger bodily fluids from his office," Pam deadpanned. Her response caught me by surprise, and I laughed.

"I can't imagine Eric being the type to do his own cleaning."

"What do you even see in that undead chump?" Mell piped up from the back.

"Watch your tone, Caoilinn," Pam snapped. "Sookie is Eric's bonded, and I won't hesitate to make things painful for you."

Mell scoffed, "Way I hear it, that fact matters little. You do know she is mated to a demon from the royal guard?"

"And she is sitting right here," I cried. "And not that it is the business of either of you, but I am my own woman. I don't belong to anyone. I may be bonded to Eric, but he has no claim to me, and Mell, you have your facts dead wrong."

"Well, you were mated. He told me so, and the way I hear it, you even bore his- "

"Mell! Enough!" I panicked, sending out a sudden force of mental energy. It escaped like an invisible heat blast, causing the car windows to flex, the display on the CD player to crack, and Mell to be flattened back hard against her seat with a pained cry. The car swerved abruptly and Pam wrested with the steering wheel to draw the car back to the right side of the road. I clenched and unclenched my fists trying to calm myself, my palms burning with an exigent need.

"What the hell was that?" Pam jerked her head in my direction once the car was back on its smooth course. Mell was muttering angrily to herself in the back seat, but seemed to have recovered.

"That wrath of a telepath." I snapped and folded my arms. I turned in my seat and spent the rest of the ride in silence, staring out the window. Mell was vivacious to a fault - she had an even bigger mouth than my old friend, Amelia.

I refused to bring my past back with me from Iceland. I just couldn't. I spent a good handful of dark weeks recovering from childbirth, the loss of my baby, and the departure of Gisli. I didn't want the world to know, especially the vampire world.

I went to Iceland with the express purpose of coming home stronger and better prepared for life, and while yes, I did return with those skills, I couldn't bear it if the truth of what happened were revealed. I couldn't bear the thought of anyone knowing how deeply hurt and vulnerable I really was returning home.

It wasn't that I wanted to keep baby Finn a secret, but by doing so it somehow made his memory burn brighter and made him more special to me. He would never turn into a reason for why I was weak, a reason potentially used against me. He would instead continue to live on as the the beautiful child in my mind. I thumbed my necklace sadly, ignoring the urge to draw my knees up and hug them. Without thinking, I reached out for Eric in the bond. It was still blocked from his end. I wondered how long he would be mad that I had returned home.

Glamour was located along a strip of restaurants and bars on Texas Street. The neon lit sign was pink, with a pair of neon fanged lips dripping with blinking red blood. It was 10pm on a Thursday night and there was a surprising number of young people walking up and down the strip, with about ten people lined up out the front of the bar.

Pam maneuvered the car up an alleyway beside the bar and parked next to the back exit. She showed me into her office and after another round of stare-offs and mutual insults, Mell agreed to keep watch outside the office door.

The office was the complete opposite of Eric's bar office. This had thick wool carpeting in a dark teal colour, a black velour and gold chaise lounge, the walls were covered in gunmetal silver and black damask wallpaper, and mounted on the wall behind the desk was a large abstract nude. If I unfocused my eyes a little it looked like it could have been Pam.

I sat on the lounge, and smoothed my hands against the plush fabric. I could get used to working here.

"So what made you decide to open another bar in Shreveport?" I asked.

"The other Fangtasia became too much of a tourist trap. While it's profitable to cater to that clientele, it was becoming a turn off for our other patrons looking to enjoy the bar outside of the spectacle. Especially now that the party scene has taken off in Shreveport."

"Really? I wonder why that is?"

"I don't care as long as it's bringing in warm bodies," she smirked and sat down behind her desk. It was a white modular piece of furniture, very modern. "Glamour caters to those after a more authentic vampire experience." I suppressed my grimace, wondering what that truly meant.

I felt out for the live minds in the bar. It was not much different to how I remembered Fangtasia. Most thoughts involved debauchery, jealousy, envy, and drinking. As I jumped quickly from mind to mind picking up information, I noticed that the overall feel of the crowd was more euphoric and excitable than at Fangtasia. I guess when you took the busloads of dowdy snap-happy tourists out of the equation the fangbangers really let their hair down. What surprised me most, however, was that the ratio of humans to vampires was much higher than I'd ever experienced at Fangtasia.

When I mentioned it to Pam she smiled indulgently at me.

"Attendance is not required here, like at Eric's bar. Turns out if you don't force attendance, vampires will come. This is hottest place for vampires in Northern Louisiana, and very popular with baby vamps. Some travel all the way from Jackson and Dallas specifically to visit here. I also stock the largest range of blood on tap in Northern Louisiana."

"I'm impressed, Pam."

"As you should be, my friend."

Pam insisted on drawing up a contract for my services separate from Eric's bar and business as Sheriff. As we discussed terms it became apparent that this bar really was her baby; she had say over everything.

The contract was already waiting to be signed so I took my time to read over it slowly. My duties to Eric in his role as vampire Sheriff trumped any with Glamour, and any pre-existing arrangement with Pam would become null should Eric or Felipe require my help. I would be paid per consultation, with a bonus for work called in at the last minute or conducted after midnight.

It was sweet she went to this effort, although I doubted there would be much work for me here outside of tonight.

The only part of the contract not stipulated was the amount for payment.

"I want $1000 for the first hour, and $350 for every 30 minutes or part thereof afterward," I said, once I'd finished reading it through. "The last-minute and after midnight bonuses will be an additional $500."

"My, my, Sookie. Very decisive. I like this new aspect to your personality." Pam filled in the blank spaces provided with the figures.

"It's not new, Pam. I just don't want to go back to waitressing and having spent the better part of a decade fine tuning my telepathy, I'm going to make use of it."

Pam showed me around the bar and we sat in a circular booth in the raised VIP section. The VIP section was even roped off with a large burly vamp guarding the entry, and I felt a little like a celebrity. Mell followed us out and stood by the bouncer, eyeing the dance floor enviously. I shooed her away and told her that since I was with Pam that she should go dance. She grinned and flittered off in the next heartbeat, causing the human patrons to jump in surprise around her.

The bar was decorated very similarly to Pam's office, in blacks, deep teals and gold embellishments. It was opulent and classy. I felt very out of place in my simple business attire. A waitress brought over a glass of champagne for me, and a blood for Pam, and we toasted to my return and her success.

I spent the rest of the night in her office reading each of the human staff members, even the regular fangbangers. Mell stood in the corner, watching on quietly.

Other than one guy, early twenties, who had estranged family members affiliated with the Fellowship of the Sun (now considered a terrorist organised in the U.S. and much of the first world), the only problem I came across was the amount of staff who were drug users. All, bar one, used recreationally. The drug was some form of cocaine, and after interviewing the third staff member who admitted to using it, it seemed like the prevalence of this drug was likely what was spurring the party scene in and around Shreveport.

Pam was unconcerned, but I felt uncomfortable with the idea of her waving off the flagrant drug use of her staff members. Pam said she would only find issue with it if it interfered with their work. Morally, to me it felt wrong to ignore it, but at the end of the day I conceded that I was there only to provide the information, not the answers.

Pam, sensing my apprehension, promised to offer rehab services and drug counselling to those who wished to partake. I hugged my vampire friend gratefully, which she accepted with a stiff pat on the back.

I vetted the final staff member shortly after 1:30am and the three of us piled back into her tiny car for the trip back to Bon Temps.

"I will let Peter go," she informed me, referring to young guy with connections to FotS.

"He didn't present a risk." I said. "He hadn't talked to his aunt or her side of the family for years. I'm sure he has nothing at all to do with the FotS."

"There is still risk with having him on board, to us and to him should his estranged family find out of his association with the bar," she put reasonably. She was right, they'd be just as likely to lash out at him for his work with vampires as they would to exploit him to harm the bar.

"You will need to return sometime later next week to interview the remaining staff who weren't on tonight."

Mell was quiet for the trip back, her eyes shut, but her sword drawn and laid flat against her legs, the hilt tightly gripped in her hand. I hated to admit it, but I was quickly warming to the woman, banshee, whatever she was. I had watched her dance before leaving and she'd been grinding up against any willing participant, laughing and bopping people away with her wide hips as she moved from one dance partner to the next. She was larger than life in more than one way.

Maybe it was from being so used to Gisli's subdued nature and the quiet life in Iceland, but having the exuberant and fiery bodyguard was proving to be good entertainment, even if she did rankle me half the time.

"Have you been to see Bill yet?" Pam asked.

"No, I haven't even thought about it, to be honest." My ex-boyfriend and old friend had not crossed my mind much in the last few years.

"You know, Bill is on the Renard Parish Council now."

"Really?" My eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh yes, he is the first vampire in local government in Louisiana. Caused quite the stir. He has aspirations for state government too. You should visit him, I think you'd get quite the kick out of it."

"Alright, I just might."

The rest of the drive Pam filled me in on her news of the last ten years, which seemed to amount to the clothes and furnishing she'd bought for herself and home. She'd taken to flying to New York for fashion week and spending big, especially since the financial success of Glamour. She said she was duty bound to keep up with the latest trends. She tried to extract a promise that I would accompany her on her next trip, and while I had no aspirations of being Pam's personal barbie doll, I caved and made her happy by giving her a soft yes.

I fell asleep that night happy to have reconnected with my vampire friend, and happy that my bank account would soon be slightly more padded thanks to my hard work.

* * *

**Starting to see little glimpses of plot now.  
****When I get a moment, I'll upload a link to my profile of the necklace Sookie received from her demon ex.**

**I hope you ejoyed this installment, please review and tell me what you think! It's pure motivation for me. I've loved reading everyone's thoughts so far. **

**Until next time x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi all. You guys really made my day with your responses to the last two chapters. Only one chapter to publish today, but the next update will be two again.**

**Sorry to those who wished for more Eric and Sookie time and for more answers about Sookie's past. All I can say is that those two are as stubborn as the other, it'll take them a bit to warm up to each other first. I hope you'll be a little bit happier today.**

**Sookie's past and abilities will be explained in a few more chapters. My aim is for it to be explained as part of the natural progression of the story, rather than me just telling you. **

**Also, I'm submitting this through my phone. There may be some spelling errors. Sorry!**

**Chapter 5**

"_Invisible threads are the strongest ties." __― Friedrich Nietzsche_

The following days moved at an easy and quiet rhythm, mostly since I tried to keep close to my new home, at Mell's insistence. Mell set up targets made from cardboard boxes in the backyard, and we wasted time with target practice using her set of throwing daggers. I had my own set, but they were some weeks away, being shipped from Iceland with some of my bigger belongings.

We practiced wrestling and grappling too, she encouraged this when I revealed it was never my forte. I was happier than a clam the single time I was able to take her by surprise and force her to tap out. I offered to take her shooting, but she was not in the least bit interested, much to my chagrin.

I had called Jason the day after my trip to Glamour, and the following day he'd brought Michelle and their two kids, Corbett and Leeanne, over for lunch. While Jason and I had parted on poor terms due to the brick incident out at Hotshot, over time - and with Michelle's encouragement, we were able to keep contact through email, and eventually Skype once Corbett was born. So, it was lovely finally meeting the kids, two adorable blond things, and they were over the moon to meet their Aunt Sookie after so many years of only seeing me on the computer screen.

I introduced Mell as my new housemate and she joined in with the merry banter across the dinner table, and took absolute delight in trying all the specialty southern dishes I'd cooked. She retired to her bedroom for the afternoon to nap her meal off and give us time alone. Jason and I avoided all the painful topics, and I kept my mind out of his the entire time. I assumed he was still running with the Hotshot pack every full moon, but he didn't mention it and so I didn't ask.

They left late in the afternoon, Jason's eyes misting with tears when we said goodbye. Michelle kissed me warmly on the cheek and promised to have me over for dinner real soon. She had done that man wonders; I hope he realised how lucky he was.

I'd held it all in fairly well during the day, but that night in the shower the cold fist that was gripping my heart let go and I wept out the envy and heartache caused by seeing their small and perfect family. I was well aware I was being self indulgent and that I was blessed to be considered a part of their family, if only by extension, but it didn't make it hurt any less. I felt the bond open for a fraction of a second, catching a flash of indecision and regret from Eric before it closed again. It made me even more miserable and angry for reasons I couldn't, or maybe didn't, want to comprehend.

I tightened my end of the bond so that I could only feel him buzzing away quietly. I'd kept it open since that first night with the hopes that maybe he'd be willing to continue a friendship with me, thinking that maybe my emotional openness would communicate that, but friendship didn't seem like it was on the cards for Eric and I.

The first sense of trouble came one Friday evening nearly a week later when Mell and I were curled up next to each other on the settee watching Dr Who. It had been many days without incident since I arrived and I was beginning to feel like the threat was imagined.

We'd had a busy day, starting with a screaming match. I traced a foul odor from the hall back to her bedroom, only to discover under her bed was piled with dirty, festering dishes. I forced Mell to do the dishes and scrub her room in repayment, and that afternoon instead of target practice, she put me through a grueling boot camp style exercise session. It still hadn't been quite enough to diffuse my annoyance. I'd never been one to enjoy sharing house, not counting when I lived with Gran.

I didn't watch a lot of TV, opting for books over the screen (I was already on my fourth bodice ripper romance just since returning), but that night since Mell had hired a season of the British sci fi, I'd found myself drawn into it. I was also so exhausted I could barely keep my head up to read my current book, let alone turn a page.

Mell was lost deep within the plot of the episode (something about robots and dinosaurs, a little too obscure for my tastes), when I realised I had forgotten to check the mail that morning even though I'd seen the little flag on the box was up.

I slipped out, trying not to disturb my Irish roommate, and walked barefoot across the damp grass towards the letterbox. I was sick of being cooped at home and was looking for any excuse to get out, especially sans terrible housemate. I spotted the empty flower beds as I walked past and it reminded me that I really had to get out to the nursery to pick out some flowers to plant along those front garden beds.

My distracted thoughts were an almost fatal mistake, as I completely failed to notice that the street light had been smashed out. God must of been looking out for me that night, and by chance my wandering mind bumped into the void out in the dark - a fraction of a second before I heard the crack of gunfire.

My second of advantage meant I ducked in time, but I still felt the whirring movement above me as the bullet sped past. The shot echoed loudly in my ears and throughout the street, cutting through the nighttime peace of the neighborhood.

I cried out to Mell, jolting her with my mind, and she flittered to my side with a loud battle cry, her sword drawn. She pulled me up to my feet and pulled me roughly behind her.

"My thigh!" She hissed to me. The void was still out there, slowly hovering in the shadows far over the road and completely out of sight.

I felt in the dark for her legs and discovered the throwing daggers strapped in their belt to her right thigh. I withdrew three of the six blades, forcing the fear induced tremble out of my hands. Mell took slow steps forward allowing me to advance behind, using her as a supe shield.

"Come out, come out, vampire scum," she called in a sing-song voice. "We haven't got all night, you know."

I closed my eyes, allowing my mind to telepathically follow the movements of the hidden vampire. The unknown and undead assailant was about a dozen yards ahead, and by my best guess, peeking from behind the large magnolia tree that grew in the neighbor's yard over the road. It was too dark to make out by eyesight alone. I held my breath waiting for the right moment, as we advanced slowly closer.

The void stepped out to take another shot, but I was prepared for it this time, my brain locked in on its location. With my eyes still shut, I moved half a pace to the side and threw all three knives in rapid succession. There was a scream and sizzle when at least one of the silver knives hit its intended target and Mell was gone, flitting forward at an inhuman speed.

My eyes adjusted to the low light in time to see her agile silhouette descend upon the vamp and connect the hilt of her jeweled sword with the vampire's head, just she had done with Eric.

"Another sucker down!" She cried triumphantly at the same time as the neighbor's porch light flickered on. I gasped in relief at words and sunk to my knees, suddenly so grateful that I could feel the solid earth beneath me.

"What's the heck's going on out here?" Called an aged voice.

"Nothin' to worry about, Mrs Poulet," Mell called cheerily back to our elderly neighbor. "Sookie here has called the sheriff's department already and I've caught the bad guy. Everyone is fine, so don't you worry."

I sure as heck had not, and was not, going to call the police, but I knew exactly what Mell was asking me to do. Eric picked up on the first ring.

"Eric, you need to get here right now."

He chuckled in a husky sort of way, "Your carnal desires finally getting the better of you, lover?"

"Jesus, Eric. Wrong time, wrong decade." I dropped the walls of the bond and threw him a hit of my excess fear and adrenalin. I heard unmistakable bang of a door slamming open on the other end of the line.

"You're at the shifter's rental?"

"Yes, there was a vampire. With a gun. He nearly got me. Mell has him, she dragged him out into the back." My voice sounded unnaturally high.

"Are you hurt?" The wind was buffeting from his end of the line, making it difficult to hear.

"No, but why the hell would a vampire want to shoot me!?" Vampires were not known for their inclination towards artillery.

"Stay inside and away from the windows. I'll be there as quickly as I can." The line went dead. I growled in frustration, tempted to throw my phone across the grass. In that moment I had a few choice words for vampires and their terrible phone manners.

I went inside and sat down on the floor in the living room, feeling exposed by the windows that surrounded me. Standing up my abdomen was exposed to any gunfire, and sitting on the couch or at the dining table meant I was at the perfect position for a headshot. I crouched back on my haunches and hugged my knees. Nine years of feeling safe had led to me being overly complacent. I forgot what life was really like for a telepath in Bon Temps. I'd been acting dumber than a box of hair.

Mell walked in through the back door whistling a tune, her tight bun fuzzy and mussed in sections. Her eyes were glassy and full of mirth.

"Congratulations, Miss Stackhouse. You made two out of three hits. That's impressive, considering you had your eyes closed. Now... For something even more interesting, have a look at this."

She opened her palm and revealed a small tranquilizer dart.

"He wasn't trying to kill you, he was trying to tranq you."

I picked up the dart, carefully inspecting it. I sniffed the tip, other than the faint hint of metal, there was no obvious scent.

"I don't understand. Why not just shoot me? Heck, why not just grab me and snap my neck?"

I handed the dart back to her and Mel gingerly placed it down on a tissue atop the coffee table.

"Well, he clearly didn't want to kill you. Do you want to come out and see if you recognise him?"

She pulled me to her feet with her hand and soon as I stood she whopped me hard against the side of my head.

"Hey, ow!" I pushed her away with my spare hand, while rubbing the side of my head.

"That's for having a death wish, you eejit. You're lucky you ducked in time. What were you even trying to do? Sneak out while I was watching The Doctor? That's low down and dirty. Getting me at my most vulnerable."

"I was checking the mail," I grumbled, pushing past her. "Momentary brain lapse."

"Well, make sure that's the first and last. You won't be so lucky next time."

Outside in the back garden, I used the flashlight app on my phone to illuminate the face of my would-be attacker. A thin wiry man, with a classic Roman profile, and a mop of brown hair. He looked like he'd been turned at some point in his forties. I couldn't get a feel for his vampire age while he was unconscious. I felt his pockets and withdrew a wallet. Sprawled before me was one Florian Lipinski, from Jackson Mississippi, born circa 1750, Poland. I had absolutely no idea who he was.

"No idea," I said, turning through the wallet looking for more clues. Mell took the ID from me to examine for herself.

"Oh no, this is good. This is very good. We finally have a lead. Whoever put the call out on you has avoided all the usual channels. This is a start." She handed the card back.

"You've been searching?"

"Don't be daft, of course I have! What did you think I'd been doing, fart arsing around all day killing time and watching TV?"

I kept silent, seeing as other than our practice, that was exactly what I thought she'd been doing. She laughed and clapped me on the back.

"You're a card, Sookie! Oh no, I've been busy trying to find out who is behind all this. So far I can't even tell where the notice was put out. I've talked to everyone I know, although that doesn't mean all that much since I've never spent much time in the Americas."

"How did Gisli know?"

"The news came from a vampire informant for the demon King. One, for reasons perhaps unrelated, is now unable to speak any further."

I sighed and sat down next the unconscious vampire.

The breeze blew my hair off my shoulders as Eric zipped around the house to find me. His hair was tied back in a low pony and he was dressed in a fitted charcoal gray suit. I handed him the drivers' licence and he studied it for a moment, his face inscrutable, before finally looking at me.

"What happened?"

"I went to check the mail and he shot at me. With a tranquilizer gun, no less. Mell came out and did her thing. Do you know him?"

Eric looked over the unconscious vamp thoughtfully.

"Know of him, yes. He's a hired enforcer, works privately and based out of Jackson. Although he spends little time there, he moves from place to place."

"Like a mercenary?"

"Yes, as it suits him. Doesn't really explain why he was shooting at you."

"Well," Mell piped up, "at least we now know the bounty is to bring Sookie in alive. Although, I'm not sure if that's a relief or not."

Eric froze, his only indication of surprise being the almost imperceptible widening of his eyes.

"Bounty?"

Oh, crap.

"I thought you knew?" I offered meekly.

"No. I wasn't informed," the hard edge in his voice was sharpening with every syllable. He grabbed the vampire's wallet from my hand and shoved the licence back inside it as I explained what little we knew.

"Why else did you think I had a bodyguard?" I asked in confusion after I'd said my piece.

He shrugged, casting his gaze around the garden, anywhere but my eyes. "I thought perhaps as a parting gift from your demon..."

"Well, you assumed wrong," I snapped. An irrational level of anger began to bubble up.

"How was I to know any different? You've neglected to tell me crucial pieces of information," he growled.

"It's not like I've seen or heard from you since coming back, Eric!" I threw my hands up in exasperation. "And it's not like I've had any indication that it would be something for your concern." If vampires were capable of producing their own heat, steam would have been pouring out of Eric's ears.

"You are my bonded," he bellowed, releasing his end of the bond so I felt the full force of his feeling to match his angered words. It startled me, but I kept still with my arms crossed, and my chin jutted up in defiance.

Mell jumped in between us, "Whoa, whoa. Easy, love birds. Vampire, you need to go glamour the neighbors before they realise the police aren't coming. What did you want me to do with this guy?" She kicked the unconscious vampire for affect. "I'd be delighted to send him to his final death."

"He has arrived into Area 5 without reporting to me, so I must deal with him. Make sure he stays here. Sookie, go inside." Eric turned and stalked away.

I walked back inside and straight into my bedroom, flopping face first down onto my bed. I let out a scream into my pillow. How could he be so infuriating! How dare he bring up the bond as a reason against me. It really was just another tool of manipulation for him. A means to claim me as his asset. It wasn't like either of us were truly willingly to be a part of it. Had it not been for extenuating circumstances, namely the slimy blond Andre, then it would never have happened.

Honestly, it should have been the least if my concerns. I needed to disengage from the nonessential and focus on the bigger problem. For unknown reasons, someone wanted me enough to pay others to catch me - and they wanted kept me alive. I needed to talk properly to Eric about.

Maybe it was Victor, hoping to use me as a bargaining chip against Eric? It seemed like a likely scenario, although it didn't explain why he would go so far to put a bounty on my head. That being said, he'd never seemed like the kind of vampire who got his hands dirty if he didn't have to, so it wasn't exactly out of the realm of possibility.

I felt Eric enter the room, and he sat quietly on the edge of the bed.

"You can't stay here."

"I know." I sighed and rolled onto my back, flopping an arm across my eyes. "I got too careless. There's too many people in the neighborhood. I didn't even notice when an unknown vampire showed up. That's just sloppy. I was getting used to tuning all the minds out that I didn't even realise I was doing it."

"Stay with me," he asked quietly. So quietly I almost missed it.

"What?" I propped myself up on my elbows to look at him.

"I'll keep you safe. I'll kill whoever is trying to harm you. You won't have to worry."

"Don't be ridiculous, Eric. I can't stay with you. I need to be reliant on myself. Otherwise all that time in Iceland would have been for nothing."

"Not for nothing, you survived the fairy war unscathed," he said, far too reasonably. "It would only have to be until the threat has gone, if you wished."

"And then when the next person, or creature, decides they want me dead? I refuse to be coddled. I have to deal with this myself." Well, with Mell's help, at least. "I'll talk to Tara about getting the farmhouse back. I wonder if Amelia is still in Shreveport? I will get the house warded too."

"She's still in Shreveport. She took over the business at the magic shop on Market Street."

I nodded in response, adding it to my mental list of things to follow up on the next day.

"Have you sorted out what you need to with Felipe and Victor?"

"Yes, and they're now aware of your return. Felipe is anxious to meet with you. We've arranged an appointment on Sunday night. That's actually what I need to speak to you about it." He reached down and took hold of my hand, squeezing it gently. I smiled back at him, relieved our fight had been cast aside for the moment.

"I have a strategy for dealing with him. You might not like it, but I need you to listen and hear me out," he said, choosing his words far too carefully for my liking.

This didn't sound good. Through the bond I could tell he was feeling a ribbon of uneasiness and good amounts of determination. His thumb rubbed slow circles on the back of my hand and it occurred to me he was purposefully trying to keep me calm. I withdrew my hand from his, rankled by the small attempt at manipulation.

"Well, spit it out," I said, sitting up properly on the bed and crossing my legs. He sat straighter too, adjusting his suit jacket. He looked like he could have been a cover model for GQ. I bet his suit was worth more than the lousy pickup I had parked out front. I wondered where he'd been when I'd called.

"There is a way for us to make our bond official, in the eyes of vampire law. It would ensure that Victor would have no legal standing to take you away, and any deliberate attempt against you would come with heavy penalties, even the true death. It means you could safely remain here. Felipe can only request your presence in Nevada, not demand it."

"What do you mean by official?" I narrowed my gaze at him, trying to grasp the hidden meaning of his words. He rubbed the back of his palm against his cheek, a surprisingly human gesture, as he considered a reply.

"It's a ceremony."

"What kind of ceremony?"

"We would pledge ourselves to one another in front of witnesses." His azure eyes stared into mine, gauging my response.

"Like a marriage?"

His shoulders tensed at my words. Ding, ding, ding! My guess was correct.

"You want me to marry you, to keep me safe?" The notion sounded completely preposterous put in that way. What year was this?

"It's not a marriage by human laws. It would only be recognised by vampires," he explained.

"Like the one you performed in Rhodes?"

"Essentially, yes."

"And you'd really want to do this? Surely there are other options."

His jaw was clenched, the muscle ticking as annoyance pulsed through the bond. "I wouldn't suggest it if there were other options. Why must you always make it so difficult, Sookie?"

That stung. I looked down at the floral bedspread, tracing the small purple forget-me-nots absently with my finger. I thought over his proposition. It was not like it would be a real marriage, at least not in my eyes. I already had enough on my plate, if this was the quick fix to dealing with Felipe and Victor I would just have to deal and take it.

"Okay," I said. "But I'm not moving in with you."

Eric startled me by pressing his cool lips against my forehead. He was smiling like a cat who got the cream. I was feeling like I'd just willingly walked into a spider's web.

"You surprise me," he said, tucking a lock of my hair back behind my ear. "Come to Fangtasia on Sunday night at 10. I'll have Pam visit at first dark to help you prepare."


	6. Chapter 6

**Buckle up. Things are about to get bumpy. **

**No Eric this chapter - but this will be the last chapter like that for a long time. Posting next chapter later today. **

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Faster and faster until the thrill of speed overcomes the thrill of death. - Hunter S. Thompson_

I woke to another beautiful Louisiana summers' day. The air was thick with humidity and the scent of magnolias clung to the breeze like warmed silk against skin.

I took my time getting ready, enjoying the early morning quiet of the house. Mell was an obscenely noisy room mate, stomping from room to room like an elephant through the Savannah, and she even talked and laughed loudly to herself, so I liked to savor the mornings before she woke up. While she was generally cheerful, she definitely was not the kind you'd want to live with. Not to mention her atrocious level of cleanliness.

Although, after the previous night, I couldn't even muster a care for her boorish behavior. I'd be dead or gone, possibly both, had it not been for her presence. I was extremely grateful, which I had told her before bed. She brushed me off telling me she'd call it even if I made her another of those 'devilishly good' pecan pies.

I had tossed and turned after Eric left, replaying our conversation over and over in my mind. I had no doubt that he had the best of intentions by proposing, if that was what you could call it, but I also couldn't grasp his willingness. Sure, I knew he wanted to get into my pants, and to utilize my telepathy, but the extent of his true feelings for me were still a mystery and one I was hesitant to discover. I finally fell asleep, resigning myself to the idea that I was likely running from the idea of having an emotional connection with him and unable to make myself do any different.

Regardless of the events that had transpired the previous evening, I was still in a good mood. Mell had agreed to accompany me to Beltane Gem, Amelia's new age occult store in Shreveport. I was planning on surprising my friend with a visit.

Amelia and I had emailed back and forth for the first couple of years after I left, but our contact eventually dissipated, like it tended to with long distance friendships. It was hard for me to maintain contact. I couldn't tell her much about my life, or even where I was... Or really anything, other than that I was safe and happy. Since arriving back in Bon Temps I'd become extremely appreciative of Amelia. She may have meddled, and broadcast her thoughts loudly, but she was clean and respectful of my space.

That day, I'd chosen to wear a fitted sundress covered in a cobalt blue flowery print, to match my spirited mood. The color set off my tan and made my blue eyes pop. I'd picked the dress up from Target the after begging Mell to let me go shopping.

Once I'd finished my big clean out there wasn't a lot of clothes left over, and post-pregnancy I found my dimensions were slightly different, so clothes didn't seem to fit quite right. I let myself splurge for the first time in living memory. I'd received my first pay check from Pam (a whopping $3100!) and bought myself a new wardrobe without a shred of guilt.

Mell enjoyed shopping too and filled up the back of my truck with countless shopping bags, which mysteriously disappeared by the time we got home. Whatever she did, or however she summoned items at her will spooked me, and no matter how often I asked she was firm in not telling me how.

I sat at the round dining table, delightfully warmed by a patch of sunlight while reading through a copy of The Shreveport Times and sipping my coffee. The front page covered a story on an accidental house fire in the Shreve Island area the previous day. I glazed over the first couple of pages until my eyes caught on a small story on the bottom right corner of page three.

_**Shreveport Mayor to Beef Up Morgue Security **_

_Following the latest series of body-snatchings, Mayor Ross Landry has pledged funds and tighter security measures to the Shreveport Municipal Morgue. "We now have the morgue and all those within the Shreveport municipality under 24 hour police watch," said Landry. _

_Landry has promised an additional $50,000 in municipal funds to further finance a special task force to assist police in apprehending those responsible for the missing bodies. _

_Since 2012, the bodies of fourteen individuals have disappeared from the Shreveport Municipal Morgue in a series of body-snatchings, leaving the local police force and officials in an uphill battle to catch the culprits. _

_In March, police admitted that though each incident was investigated by local forensic teams, they were still unable to gather any evidence that could to lead to potential suspects or subsequent arrests. _

_The police are pointing to the illegal organ black market as the likely reason for the disappearances. _

That was honestly the strangest thing I think I'd ever read in the Shreveport Times. Who would have thought that Northern Louisiana would be home to a black market for organs? My thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing, and I placed my coffee cup down to answer the call.

"Hey Sookie, it's Tara."

"Hey Tara, I've actually been meaning to call you."

"Well, I beat you to it," she said, not sounding entirely happy to be speaking to me. "You need to get here now. Senior Detective Bellefleur from the Shreveport PD is here and he needs to talk to you."

"The _Shreveport_ department? You're talking about Andy, right?"

"The one and only," she responded dryly.

So much for my happy mood.

I arrived at my farmhouse shortly after 9am, Mell grumbling the entire trip about her earlier than planned wake up. After I told her to stick it or I'd stick her with her sword she decided to remain quiet in petulant silence for the remainder of the drive. That suited me just fine.

Tara was home alone, wisely shooing J.B. and the kids out the door on a last minute shopping trip. She greeted me at the truck with an embrace, a chiding look, and an accompanying consternate thought: '_Home for one week and already knee deep in shit, Sookie. Don't think I'm going to let you leave without telling me what the hell is going on'_.

She set down a tray of biscuits and mugs of coffee in the sitting room for Andy, Mell, and I, before conveniently leaving to tidy the kids' rooms upstairs.

Andy looked like a duck out of water, dressed in a black detective suit too tight around the waist and in need of a press.

"Glad to see you're back, Sookie," he began politely, nodding in my direction. He shot a questioning glance in Mell's way, who responded by smiling darkly at him. His eyes snapped back to mine with a pale look of panic. I cleared my throat, hoping to clear the tension.

"It's a pleasure seeing you too, Andy. Congratulations on the appointment to the Shreveport department."

"Thank you." He smiled genuinely at me.

"How's Halleigh?"

"She real good. We have a little girl now. Named her Caroline, she's just turned four."

"Well, isnt that sweet?" I offered politely, before setting my mug down on the coffee table, hopefully signalling my readiness to get on with it. Andy and I never got along at the best of times, I was keen to get this little meeting out of the way.

Andy cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck self consciously.

"Look, Sookie. We need your help with an investigation. We were, uh, hoping to use your..." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Your..." He tapped his temple.

"Is this to do with the missing bodies, detective?" I had my shields built completely in place, to give him the chance to explain first. I didn't really feel quite right delving into the mind of an officer on duty, although I hated to admit it wouldn't be the first time.

"Well no, but I managed to sequester some funds from their task force by convincing my boss there's a chance this might be related... If you decide to help, I can hire you on as a consultant, in an official capacity."

"Alright, I'll bite. What's your investigation?"

His eyes darted from Mell to me, before he raised his brows in an overly exaggerated manner and tapped his forehead again. I rolled my eyes.

"She's fine, Andy... But, okay." I dipped into his brain and allowed him to fill the missing pieces of the story with images and narration. I stood as soon as he finished and slung my purse over my shoulder.

"Take me there now. My friend Mell will be accompanying me today, or we won't be coming at all. We can discuss my costs and stipulations after we get there, but I can tell you the amount you're thinking is suitable."

Andy left out a sigh of relief and hauled himself to his feet. "Thank you, Sookie - but, uh, could you ask your friend to leave her sword?"

"Mell!" I spun to face her.

"Who, me?" She asked innocently. Of course I knew she always wore her sword, she never bothered hiding it from me, but I'd assumed she'd had sense enough to mask it from view for the detective. I stood firm, hands on hips, feeling like I was growling at my teenage daughter rather than an ageless supernatural creature.

"Oh fine, but let it be known that I don't see why he gets wear his gun out for all to see and I have to hide my weapon." She made a show of taking off the sword and placing it on the table, before picking it right back up and slipping it back in its scabbard. She'd must of magically obscured the second half of those movements because Andy seemed to visibly relax after that.

I was climbing back into the pick up, ready to follow Andy out to Shreveport when Tara ran across to stop me.

"Sookie," she hissed, trying not to draw Andy's attention. "What was that about?"

"I'll be assisting the detective with an investigation in Shreveport." As I said it I felt a little flash of pride run through me. This would be the first time, in a long time, that I was using my mind to help people. It was one of those rare moments where my telepathy fell onto the 'gift' side of the spectrum, rather than 'curse'.

"Does it have anything to do with the men that have been coming by here at night?"

A cold wave swept through me, dousing the small flames of good feeling. "What men?"

"There's been three so far, two of them arrived together. J.B spoke to the first guy a few nights back. I was out taking Charlie to practice so I missed seeing him. All J.B. said was the guy was looking for you, couldn't remember much else. Then last night there were another two. Said they were looking for you, but Vampire Bill came and chased them off."

_Shit_.

"Tara, honey, just hold still for a moment.". I placed my hands on her temples and closed my eyes. I found the memory she was describing. The two men who visited last night were vampires. One was built like a brick house, with dark skin and a shaved head, the other had a sour, twisted face and reminded me a little of Gérard Depardieu, but without the lovable nature. Neither of them were Florian Lipinski. _Double shit_.

There were blank spaces in her mind indicating glamour. I flexed my mental muscles, preparing to do something I'd only ever done mock trials of with Gisli. I plied her mind slowly, like a warm hand with putty, until her thoughts moved to my will. Tara fell completely under my thrall, her face slack and eyes soft. I mentally massaged against the large patch of glamour, feeling out for the edges all around it and then gently peeled back the deception. Tara let out a low moan and I shushed her as comfortingly as I could.

As the black void of glamour dissipated and the memory underneath flared back to life.

I examined it. Tara had given the men my address. _Shit on a stick._

* * *

Willis-Knighton Health was located over the river in Bossier City and was the largest hospital serving the greater Shreveport area. I parked outside, pulling up next to Andy's unmarked police car, and the three of us walked silently through the wide glass entrance and down the main corridor toward the lifts. I spent those few moments trying fortifying my shields, so that if one failed another would be ready to take the slack, and so on. A hospital isn't a place where you want to be listening in on people.

We rode the elevator with a handful of other visitors; Mell whistling cheerily along to the saxophone rendition of 'Like a Virgin' being played from the tiny speakers. We exited on the fifth floor, and turned down a corner to find the entrance to the eastern wing. Large red double doors marked the entryway into ward 5. Two nurses nodded in a familiar way at Andy as we walked past their station. He'd been here before a number of times.

It was the third room on the right that we entered and it was at that point Mell finally caved.

"Why are we here?"

The room housed only two patients, both of whom looked to be sleeping peacefully. The staccato beeping of their monitors provided the backing soundtrack to the sombre surrounds.

"There are twelve patients on this ward. All of them like these two. Comatose. The longest patient has been here since January. 2012. There are another four patients like this at LSU Teaching Hospital and another two at St Francis."

I moved around to the patient closest and collected her hand in mine. It was warm and dry. The fingers hung limply in my hand and I curled mine around them. The woman was in her 50s, mousy brown hair pulled back into a limp bun away from their face.

"They are somewhere between completely comatose and being stuck in a persistent vegetative state. Doctors can't make heads or tails of it. They are unresponsive to outside stimulus, but will respond if you spoon feed them or offer them water. Brain scans show no response if they are being talked to or touched."

Andy poured a glass of water from a plastic pitcher beside the woman's bed, moved to her side and placed the straw between her chapped lips. Her mouth moved automatically in response, drawing a few sips of liquid before her mouth fell again. Andy replaced the glass.

"Each patient collapsed in the middle of performing normal everyday tasks. At home, at work, at the market. There were no signs of trauma, drugs, or poison in their system. No seizures, or illnesses. All healthy, with normal blood counts..."

"What about this makes you think this requires a police investigation?" I asked Andy, not taking my eyes from the woman.

Her mind was still and curiously blank, devoid of thoughts and feelings other than strange shades of instinct. Slight amounts of hunger and a feeling of satiation from having her drink. It was like she was a black hole, all of her sucked away, spare the barest amount of her mental being.

"There have been another 11 patients like this in the same period of time, but each one passed suddenly and unexpectedly. Cause of death, sudden heart failure." He sunk down in the chair, his face set in hard lines. "Something strange is going on, I just know it."

Mell opened her mouth to speak, but I silenced her with my hand, letting Andy finish his train of thought.

"In June last year six patients died. Not just one... But six. All within minutes of each other. Two of them were even at the LSU hospital. It ain't right. Whatever is happening ain't natural. It ain't right. Sookie, when I heard you were back in town..." He trailed off. He didn't need to finish. I saw it all in his mind back at the farmhouse. His gut told him something was wrong. His colleagues, even the deputy superintendent, could see something unnatural was at work, but he was the only persistent enough to keep chasing it up.

"So, this is Halleigh's cousin, Rose?" I gestured to the woman beside us. He nodded, looking a picture of defeat. I sent him a small smile and squeezed his shoulder.

"Okay," I said. "Give me some time."

I spent the next two hours moving from bed to bed until I had sat and visited with each comatose patient. The nurses worked around me, smiling at me curiously, but staying clear of me. By the time I left, the general consensus from the nursing staff was that I was a faith healer sitting and praying for each patient. Hiring a faith healer might have actually been more effective that my mental ministrations.

I met Andy and Mell back out in the corridor after visiting with the last one, a boy in his early 20s, he was a were of some sort. Andy looked at me hopefully and I shook my head. His shoulders deflated.

"I knew it was a long shot," he sighed. I sat down beside the beleaguered detective and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying the stave off the killer headache I knew was coming my way.

"Exactly. Even I didn't think I'd be able to pluck the answers from their minds." I patted his hand. "It's like their spirits have been sucked dry. I can't quite work out what. That young girl, Jenny Cornish? I did catch a few images from her mind. Her dog, I think. She's been here the shortest length of time too. I think that's significant. Check with the doctors and see if her family can bring in her dog, and if I can sit in. It might draw her out of her mind long enough to get sense of what's going on."

Andy had his notebook out and scrawling away. "That shouldn't be a problem. Even the doctors are prepared to try anything at this point."

"I'll head out to St Francis and LSU Medical on Monday and meet with the remaining patients there, if you can please provide me with a list of names?" I gave Andy my phone number and instead Andy agreed on a time to meet me out at the other hospitals.

We made our way down the corridor and out of the ward, Mell trailing behind.

"Andy, I won't lie. I think something strange is going. Something strange of the supernatural variety." At my words, Andy's head jerked sharply in my direction.

"I knew it," he whispered, a flash of vindication crossing his face.

"I can't say exactly why, it's a more feeling than anything else. It's like they've been tampered with somehow. I have a friend I'm actually about to call on. She's skilled in this sort of area. She might be able to help." We stopped at the elevators, waiting for our ride back down.

"Look - Sookie. Thank you. " He stared at the ground looking as uncomfortable in my presence as ever. "I know we've never exactly got along, and, uh, I'm sorry for the way I've treated you in the past -"

I held up my hand, signalling him to stop.

"It's alright, Andy. I want to help. I know you and I will never be best friends, but that doesn't mean I won't do everything I can to help."

* * *

Beltane Gem was a small shop set in a row of stores along Market Street. To its left was an organic grocer, and on the right a hot yoga studio. It made the small occult shop a perfect fit for its location. I pushed the heavy wooden door open, the bell chiming to mark our entrance. Mell positioned herself by the door, picking up a large crystal orb from the window display and examining it.

I could see my brunette friend at the rear of the store behind a glass counter. She was bent deep in conversation with a customer who was examining a bag of herbs against a small written list. An enormous collection of glass jars filled with herbs and concoctions lined the wall behind the women and it reminded me of an old-timey candy store, but for witches.

Soft pan-pipe music floated through the room and blended perfectly with the scent of burning incense. As I waited for Amelia to finish up I walked up to examine a bookshelf that was filled with a medley of self help, fortune telling and potion books. It was a strange mix. I picked up a book on astrology flicking through the pages until I found the section on the star sign Cancer. I wondered what star sign Eric was. I wondered if Eric even knew his birthday? I'd have to ask him sometime.

The customer left a few minutes later, her purchases packaged in a large paper bag.

"I'll be with you in a moment," called Amelia across to me. She her back turned, returning jars to their rightful places on the wall behind her. I tip-toed up to the counter quietly as possible.

"Surprise!" Amelia squealed as soon as she recognized me and ran around the counter to squeeze me in a tight hug.

"Oh my Lord, Sookie!" I lowered my shields and let myself be immersed by her euphoria and excitement over our reunion. It felt good after the depressing morning at the hospital. She let me go and planted an exaggerated smooch on the cheek. "It's so good to see you! I can't believe it's really you. Just look you, you're looking as fantastic as ever!"

"Thanks, Amelia! It's good to see you." My old friend looked surprisingly different. Her hair was cropped short in a pixie style, and she'd lost a significant amount of weight, her collarbones were visibly protruding from under her blouse. Her eyes were worryingly sunk in, but they still danced brightly with life.

Amelia pulled me out the back to a small kitchenette and she sat me down while she served me a glass of sweet tea. It was a relief from the heat of the day, but as I watched her jumpy movements around the kitchen, I began to worry.

"I'm so happy you're home. You just have no idea!"

"Oh, I think I do," I chuckled nervously. "So you own a shop now? How's that been going? What's been happening in your life?"

"I took over this old place about four years back. I'm now the number one supplier for everything occult in Northern Louisiana," she beamed at me, and sat down with a flourish. Her tapped her toe excitedly against the vinyl floor of the kitchen and folded and unfolded her hands on the table.

"That doesn't surprise me. So much has changed since coming back. Especially around Shreveport. Pam's bar is just incredible."

"Oh, is it? I haven't been." Her face was forced up in a manic smile.

_..can't believe she's home. I've missed her so much. This is awkward, though. Hope she's not catching on. I wonder if I can keep stocking the shelves while we chat? Maybe I should just wipe that counter down, looks messy! _

"It looks incredible inside the club," I replied slowly, trying to focus to the scatter of thoughts in her mind. "We should go dancing there one night."

"That sounds neat-o, Sook."

_...Man I'd love a night on the town. Damn Sylvie, just wanna dance, and she's keeping me on a sho- _

Amelia's eyes widened with realization that I was likely listening in, and she jumped up from her seat, and began opening and closing cupboards. "I'm sure I had some cookies in here somewhere!"

Within her mind she began loudly singing the lyrics to something by ABBA. I turned the volume right down in my mind. The worry I'd felt was now morphing into a dreadful realization. The scattered and cheerful nature of her mind was very familiar. It reminded me of the humans in Glamour.

"Amelia, are you high?"

She froze, half way through pulling out a box of cookies from the top cupboard, her thoughts suddenly jarring to a standstill.

_Oh, crap sticks. How'd she know?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Never let a fool kiss you, or a kiss fool you. - Joey Adams_

_"_Yes, Amelia, crap sticks. For one, I've never heard you say 'neat-o' in your life like it was a _good_ thing, and two, you don't have to be a genius to work it out. You're skinny as a rail, you look like death warmed up, and you're all over the place!"

She sat back down on the seat, her good mood extinguished quick as a flash. Her head dipped and a whimper escaped from her lips as quiet as a whispered breath.

"Amelia...?"

She looked up, eyes filled with tears. I slid off my seat and crouched before her.

"Honey, tell me what's wrong."

"I can't. I can't..." She choked on her words. "I just..."

I held her small hands in mine. They felt cool and frail. I slipped back into her mind, trying to make sense of her words. It was as frenzied as before, but now more like a writhing nest of snakes. I gasped and dropped her hands.

"What's going on? What's happened since I last heard from you?"

Her eyes were wide, pleading, and all at once I had a terrible feeling that our deteriorated contact over the years was nothing to do with me and more to do with Amelia in her current state.

"How long has it been this bad?" I asked.

"I want to tell you. I really do... I, uh, I...God!" She clamped her jaw shut in frustration and let out a stifled yell. She jumped up and started straightening the kitchen bench, her hands trembling as they positioned and re-positioned items on the counter. I moved to her side and drew her gently away.

She burst into tears, her chest heaving with great sobs. I grazed against her mind again before retreating just as quick. It was warped and addled from the drugs. She calmed after a spell, and I handed her a napkin from the table. She gratefully blotted her eyes.

"Oh, Sookie. It's all gone to hell in a handbasket since you've gone."

"No kidding."

"I wish you knew just how much..."

I cleaned up our dishes and cups, washing them in the small sink while Amelia went back out into the store to assist some tourists looking to buy trinkets. I sat down beside her on a spare stool behind the glass counter after she rung up the sale.

"Where's the drugs?" I asked, waiting until the store was empty.

I could see Mell's legs poking out from behind a bookshelf. She was sitting and reading. She'd had the good sense to keep quiet almost all day and I was feeling especially thankful. I knew it was no small feat for the loudmouth.

"Where?" I pressed. Amelia began sniffling again, but gave it away by flashing her eyes quickly to the wall behind me.

I spent the next few minutes searching through every jar and canister on the wall of the herb dispensary. I eventually found a small jar by the top corner labeled B.S. Inside was a small plastic baggie filled with white powder.

"Good Lord, Amelia. What is this? Cocaine?"

She followed me to the bathroom and watched, mute, as I flushed it down the toilet.

"It's cocaine," she whispered. "Mixed with something else."

"With what?"

"It's like every atom in your body is alive. I feel like I could fly if I really wanted to. Like I'm alive for the first time with every second that passes, and then second passes and I feel reborn all over again. Like I could take on the world, if I wanted to."

"It's not real, though. A reaction from the drug makes you feel like that, it's all false."

She laughed hollowly, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Well, I am." I left the bathroom, my heeled sandals clicking on vinyl floor. Once we were back out on the shop floor I turned the sign on the door to 'Closed'.

"Now what do we need to do to get you off this shit? Do you need rehab? Did you want to come stay with me?"

"Oh, give me a break, Sookie! Don't act like I'm one of your charity cases in need of babying. I'm doing fine - and anyway, it's not like you're one to talk, what with all that blood of Eric's you used to guzzle."

"Excuse me? You know that's not true and you are most definitely not fine."

"Why, I bet you're back on it from the second you arrived."

"Don't be so ridiculous. You don't even know what you're saying." I suppressed my anger, willing to believe it was the drugs, or the addiction, causing her to speak in such a way. "Now tell me what to do to get your clean."

Amelia threw herself back in my arms and buried her head into my neck, crying all over again, her mood turning on the edge of a dime. "Sookie... I can't. I can't get clean. It's not as easy as that."

"Yes, it is. Especially since I'm here to help. I'll be with you every step of the way." I rubbed her back soothingly.

"I can't quit it, Sook. I... I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't!" She let out a choked sob, before her heaving overcame her again.

"What do you mean?"

She drew away from me, hiccuping and wiping her face with the back of her hands. Her mouth opened and shut, almost fish-like, while she tried to say the right words. I grabbed her hand, letting my shields down completely, ignoring the painful jackhammer headache that had set in, and all I encountered was the writhing tangled mess again. This time I didn't let go.

"It's OK. Just tell me, hon."

Her forehead creased in a frown as her jaw continued to work up and down, trying to make the words come out.

I was wanted to snap at her in frustration, but held it in. Amelia was one of the most verbose people I knew. She was never short of something to say. In fact, back when I knew her best, you'd have to practically gag her to get her to shut up. An alarming notion dawned on me.

"Is something preventing you from telling me? From stopping the drugs?"

Her eyes widened, a fat tear escaping and leaving a moistened trail across her cheek bone.

"Something magical?"

The overwhelming amount of frustration and distress that then radiated from Amelia's mind was my confirmation.

* * *

Mell steered my truck through the busy city streets and away from the Beltane Gem. My head was absolutely blaring with pain, like it was trapped in a throbbing vice that was tightening with every minute. I wasn't sure Mell could even drive, but she took the keys wordlessly from me and even helped me into my seat, sensing my pain and mental exhaustion.

We had remained at the Beltane Gem until nightfall. I'd introduced Amelia and Mell to each other and we proceeded to help Amelia out at the shop for the rest of the afternoon. In the quiet moments, I worked to unpick the tangled gag that held her brain. My attempts were all unsuccessful, and had wiped me out. I had no idea who had cast the spell to gag her, or what kind of trouble she was mixed up in, but I had a hunch her trouble was deep and big. I'd never felt more useless.

Amelia refused my pleas to come home with me, promising she would be okay. I wasn't so naive to think I'd found her only drug stash, but I was praying I had enough time to sort out what the hell I was going to do to help her before she went too far and OD'd. I left telling her I'd call in the morning and that we'd work out what to do from then.

At that particular moment though, stuck in a bumpy pickup truck with my driver treating each corner like she was in a rally, all I could think of was getting rid of my headache.

"Mell, can you remember how to get to Fangtasia?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You look ready to crash. I'm not sure you'd be able to handle another lover's tiff with your vampire."

"We're not lovers, Mell, and he is not mine. The only crashing I'll be doing is when you lose control on the next corner. So take me there, please. It's just up a few more blocks and then turn north onto Industrial Drive."

I kept my eyes closed and my shields low, my mind woefully weak after the paces I'd put it through that day. We parked out front next to a familiar, although updated model, red Corvette. I walked straight to the front of the line, ignoring the disgruntled calls of the fangbangers and tourists, and could honestly have kissed the vampire at the door who waved me in. He clearly knew who I was, but I'd never seen him in my life.

Mell, bless her heart, walked me to Eric's office door, and when I turned to ask her to leave, I was startled to find I was alone in the hall. I picked up her mind's buzzing movements back out in the bar.

Through the bond I felt Eric's close proximity in the office even with my end of the connection tightened, so I knocked twice before opening the door, and let myself in.

He was at his desk, dressed again in another expensive suit, this time navy with a matching slim tie. He looked up and smiled broadly at me, placing the book he was reading down on the desk, and standing up.

"You know, there's a superstition that says its bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other the night before the wedding." His eyebrow cocked up to match his smirk.

I crossed the office wordlessly and walked straight into him. I buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms tightly around his hard torso. I let go of everything - dropping every shield and completely releasing my grip on the bond.

He stood stock still for a second, before embracing me in return. His end of the bond slowly come to life and he pressed his face against my hair, inhaling deeply through his nose. I sunk myself into the silence of Eric's being, my mind blessedly calm and moving quickly towards becoming pain free.

"Are you okay?" He spoke softly after a minute had passed, his lips brushing against my hair. One of his hands lifted to stroke the back of my head, twirling a lock of hair tenderly.

"You're like cool water on a sunburn," was all I managed to say.

My content and pleasure blended into his and I lost track of time as we stood there, embracing physically and through the bond. I could have cried for the relief it brought me.

I reluctantly let go of him as I felt tears begin to actually form. I couldn't bear to see his good suit ruined.

"Sorry," I said. "I shouldn't-"

"Tell me what happened today," he interrupted, leading me by the elbow to sit beside him on the leather couch.

I sighed, trying to gather my thoughts.

"At what point while I was away did everything go to shit in Shreveport?" One of the threatening tears made its escape and Eric swiped it off my cheek with his thumb, bringing it to his lips.

"Things are no more and no less shit around here than they ever were, lover."

"Well, you could sure fool me. Between the organ black market, the dozens of comatose victims, the rampant drug use, and people magically unable to even stop taking them, my head is spinning so fast it could fly right off."

A throb of my headache flared back to life and I took Eric's hand in mine before I'd even realised what I'd done. I felt a prickle of embarrassment, but Eric squeezed my hand in an understanding gesture.

"Explain," he prompted.

I retold the events from the day, finishing with my visit with Amelia.

"She can't explain a single thing of what's going on, like she's had her mind taped shut. I know it's more than just being on drugs. Something else is going on."

"It sounds like witchcraft."

I nodded. "I thought the same. Octavia Fant is still in New Orleans. I got her number from Amelia, I'm hoping she can help."

I leaned my head back against the couch, closing my eyes. I had been desperate to get home after losing Finnur and saying goodbye to Gisli. My homecoming was meant to be happier than this. Now I just felt like I'd walked into a twilight zone version of home, where everything looked the same, but was in fact very, very different. Well, except for one undead thing.

"I can feel how tired you are, my Sookie," he spoke softly in my ear. His cool breath tickled my skin, which flushed in response. "Come with me now. I'll take you to dinner and then accompany you home. You need to rest before our big night tomorrow."

"Are you trying to get me to agree to a dinner date?" I opened one eye to warily inspect the handsome vampire.

He moved dangerously closer, his face hovering inches above mine. "Is it working?"

I stared at his lips, unable to resist the smile on mine or resist being drawn to the alluring cupid bow shape of his mouth. It was so close, I could almost...

Without warning, the office door opened. In walked a tall willowy woman, quite possibly the love child of Olivia Wilde and Megan Fox. She was dressed in a tight burgundy off the shoulder frock, her dark hair swept up off her shoulders revealing her long neck.

"Eric, sorry I'm so late. I hope we won't miss our reservation again..." Her last word trailed off as she spotted Eric close beside me on the couch.

Her large brown eyes darted back and forth between us, and I heard her wondering if I was the reason Eric had ditched her during their previous two dates. Her mind was cautiously jealous, while also remembering other things she'd done on the couch with Eric. "What's going on?" She asked slowly, looking between the two of us.

I jumped to my feet in surprise, grabbing my purse off the couch. My face blazed red with shame and disgust.

"Oh, nothing." I explained, flashing her with the old Crazy Sookie grin. "Eric was just assisting me with a work related matter." I moved past the leggy woman, careful to avoid her suspicious eyes.

"Sookie," Eric said, and I paused at the office door, gripping the frame to steady myself. He was feeling guilty. Asshole! I could practically feel the woman staring daggers into my back.

"Its alright," I replied, my voice high with false cheer. "You two have a fun night, now."

I marched out, tears burning my eyes. I shot a heavy jolt of energy at Mell's mind in the bar hoping to startle her, and it effectively ruined any of the salve that Eric had provided for my brain, with the headache roaring back with full force. Mell was back at my side as we exited the club. By the time I reached the truck, I was nursing my throbbing head against my hand, and Mell plucked the car keys from my hand once I managed to fumble them out of my purse.

"Told you so," she said, climbing into the driver's side.

I was a complete idiot. I'd been ready to do Lord only knows what with Northern Louisiana's greatest womanizer. I was meant to be marrying him vampire-style the next day! What the hell is wrong with me?! God, and was that his _girlfriend_ that walked in? The mind boggled. Vampires did not do 'girlfriends'. The notion that he might do it for her hurt me, and I hated myself for it.

I couldn't believe I came that close to kissing him. Not just a complete idiot, but I was an utter fool. It had to be the stupid freaking bond was causing these stupid freaking feelings. I was pretty sure my head was ready to burst.

I opened the car door, but Eric appeared at my side, shutting it gently.

"What, Eric?"

"Sookie, look at me." I met his gaze, hoping to convey my anger and hurt towards him. He winced, and I felt a little pleased.

"I'm sorry to put you through that," he said. The words sounded like they hurt him as they left his mouth. I guess apologising, when you're the world's biggest ass, leaves a bitter taste.

"Yeah, I'll bet." I crossed my arms.

"I need to explain to you," he began, before I gave my head a firm shake. The motion set all the nerves in my brain on fire, and I gritted my teeth against the sudden flood of pain. Eric took my hand to help, feelings of remorse pulsing through the bond from him, but I shook him off angrily.

"No, Eric. You don't. You _really_ don't need to. You are free to do, see, date, and suck whoever you want. What I don't appreciate is being played, and what I _really_ don't appreciate is pulled into the middle of whatever this all is," I gestured with my hand between him and the vision of a young woman in question who was now standing nervously at the club door. "So, go enjoy your hot date and I will see you tomorrow for our wedding."

That topped the list of 'Things never before said between a couple on the night before their wedding'. I opened the car door again and this time Eric slammed it shut with a growl.

"Must you always be so obstinate, Sookie? Why must our every interaction dissolve into petty arguments?"

"Because, Eric, we clearly cannot stand each other long enough to do anything else!"

"I remember a time when that wasn't the case," he said quietly.

Eric's face softened, and he brought a hand up to cup my cheek. I leaned into it before I realized and closed my eyes, allowing the pain to slip way. The breeze was lifting the hair off my shoulders and I felt like there was a chance it could carry me away too, instead it swept away my residual anger. All that remained was a bitter ache.

"That was a long time ago..." I forced myself to look at him.

"But something we still need to talk about." He held my gaze, his eyes fathomless like the gray roiling ocean of the North Sea.

I sighed, and patted him on the chest. "You need to go, Eric. Your beautiful date is waiting for you, and I need my beauty sleep."

"Don't think I'll give up this easily, Sookie. I have the patience of a thousand year old vampire."

"In my experience, y'all aren't patient in the slightest."

He let out a loud rumbling laugh, and I opened the car door for the third time, but this time Eric helped me in.

"Interesting book you were reading back in the office." I said it as casually as possible, as he handed me my seatbelt. He didn't reply, but he grinned good naturedly at me. I pulled the door shut without saying another word and we pulled away.

"Are you gonna keep me waiting forever?" Mell said after a few silent seconds had passed and the club was behind us. I sent her a questioning glance. "C'mon, tell me. What book was he reading?"

"My life is just a daytime soap to you, isn't it?"

"Essentially, yes. Just not enough spilled blood for my liking. Now fess up."

"He was reading Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle."

"Never heard of it." She pulled out onto the highway, gunning the engine.

"It's a book on philosophy. Basically talks a lot about how happiness is the highest virtue of being a good human." I smiled to myself, as the orange streetlamps on the highway flickered past quickly. I was willing to bet it was no coincidence that a week after telling him I had spent years reading philosophical works that he would be reading one of the greats.

"Oh-kay then," said Mell, not really getting it. "And who was that woman?"

I sighed, my smile disappearing with the remains of my good mood. I hated his effect on me. I was furious with him, but all he has to do was stroke my cheek and let the bond take care of the rest... And he knew this, gah! When would I get it through my thick skull that I was dealing with Eric, manipulator extraordinaire, not the sweet amnesiac vampire I once shared my bed with. They may have occupied the same physical space, but only one remained. I felt deeply sorry for that poor woman.

"She's an unwitting victim, probably," I replied sourly.

* * *

**Poor Sook, doesn't know which was is up or down at the moment. I promise things are going to work out soon. Stay tuned. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi all! I mentioned I had jury duty, and as luck would have it I've been called to sit on a trial. I'll be updating when I can. I'm still trying to keep a few chapters ahead of what I'm posting so there will be more soon. Court was adjourned early today and so I got a good chunk done. **

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence._ \- _William Blake_

I was laying on the sun lounge out on the front lawn of the farmhouse. The sun was blazing, and Jason was mowing the lawn out the back. I could hear Kenny Chesney on the radio, his deep singing voice calling out over the noise of the mower.

The fragrance of freshly cut grass fused with the heavenly smells of peach pie that was wafting out from the kitchen. The scents were the pure embodiment of summer. Gran's mind was present inside the house and she was pottering between the kitchen bench and sink, preparing something for our regular Sunday dinner with Jason.

_Tap, tap, tap._

I sighed in relaxation, absorbing every drop of warmth the sun had to offer. I couldn't ever remember feeling so relaxed, and I would've felt even more so if it weren't for that tapping. What was it? A woodpecker out in the woods?

_Tap, tap, tap. _

I rolled over on the sun lounge, pulling the cushion over my head. I tried to hum along to Kenny to drown out the noise.

_Tap, tap, tap. _

Oh, for goodness' sakes! I threw the cushion in the direction of the noise and it landed with a thud. I opened my eyes, and struggled to adjust to my surrounds. I was surprised to see it was nighttime and I was actually in bed at my rental house, not sunbathing on the lawn at Gran's. The cushion I'd thrown had been my own pillow.

The tapping was coming from the window, its origin a familiar vampire void stationed on the other side of it. I snapped the curtains back and glared at the ghostly pale face of Eric, smiling in that annoyingly smug way that was only his. I pulled the window open.

"Dreaming of me, lover?"

"Not even close." I folded my arms, trying to obscure the fact that I wasn't wearing a bra under my nightshirt. "What are you doing here?"

"It's time we had that talk." He floated in through the window, and I took a step back to make space for him.

"Not on your undead life." I grabbed my dressing gown from its hook on the back of the bedroom door and wrapped m self in it. Eric landed sitting up on my bed and proceeded to untie his Timberland boots. The suit was gone, instead he was dressed in fitted denim Levi's and a pale blue v-neck tee.

"We won't have time to resolve this tomorrow, and I'd rather do it now before the ceremony." He stretched his long form out on top of the bedding. "You can't avoid me forever."

"But I can damn well try." We stared defiantly at each other for half a second, before Eric chuckled, folding his hands behind his head. The muscles in his arms flexed and rippled. Dear Lord, he was a sight. I continue to glare at him, but the pull of sleep and a comfy bed proved too strong, and so I slipped back under the covers, then turned to face him.

"You had a nice night out with your girlfriend?"

"Jealous? And no, not my girlfriend."

"But..." I prompted. He turned and scooted down on the bed so we were facing each other.

"_But,_ she was a woman I had spent several evenings with. One that I'd grown tired of before you even returned. A lot of her efforts with me comprised of showing off to others that she dated a vampire. I hadn't had the chance until now to break things off. I'd actually planned it to happen last night, but was called away to deal with what happened here, so that meant tonight."

"That seems mighty convenient that you decide to break it off just as I come home to Bon Temps." I furrowed my brow. "Geez, I can barely even imagine you dating."

"I decided to end it before you got back, Sookie," he corrected. "And I told you I might surprise you."

"Lord, help me." I rolled my eyes. "So you were ready to take me out for the evening, even though it meant you'd be standing up your date, with whom you'd been planning a break-up dinner with?"

"Sounds about right," he grinned.

"Well, it's a little too convenient, don't you think? You just _happen_ to be planning to break up with her, just before I come back to town? And anyway, breakup dinners are just about the worst way to end it with someone. God, just go to their house and tell them to their face? I witnessed and listened them more than once Merlotte's. They're painful for both parties."

It wasn't that I really held Eric having a girlfriend against him - other than those few days while he was cursed, we'd never actually been an item. On top of that, I'd had a relationship with Gisli almost the entire time I was away. It was the knight in shining armor routine he was performing that pissed me off, all while intending to trample over another woman's feelings in the process. Even if she did only like him for what he was, not who he was.

"Firstly, this was nothing to do with you, Sookie. Inspect the bond if you don't believe me." He opened the bond and I felt the honesty in his words. I had to reluctantly concede he was probably telling the truth. "The only difference was that your arrival simply motivated me to get it over with quicker than I'd been bothered before. Her type can become very needy when you request space. I can tell you this is the first time I've participated in a "breakup dinner" and you're right, it wasn't pleasant. I often find it easier to just leave them be, rather than be so formal."

"Eric," I admonished. "That's atrocious. You 'leave them be'? As in, you just ignore girls until they disappear? I bet you've left a string of broken hearts around Northern Louisiana."

"She'll move past it. There are plenty of other vampires who'd be more than happy to see to her needs."

"Oh, gross." My response caused him to laugh loudly and I shushed him. "Be quiet. Mell's sleeping."

I heard a banging on the wall across the hall. "I'm not sleeping," Mell's muffled voice called through the wall. "Don't think you can go sneaking vampires into the house without me realizing, Sookie. I'm not happy!"

I got up, calling out an apology before shutting the bedroom door. Nosy woman. I bet she had her ear pressed to a glass against the door. Eric waited until I was back in bed before resuming the conversation.

"You like her," he said.

"I do, surprisingly. Well, if I forget she's an age-old crazy assassin lady. She's not all that great to live with either, but it will be better back in the farmhouse where there's more space."

"When will you leave?"

"I talked to Tara tonight. They're all at J.B.'s parents' place until they can find somewhere else. They've had some unwelcome visitors - vampires, looking for me - and I think it spooked her. They're hauling all the furniture out tomorrow, leaving what they can't move in the barn. I can head back from Monday, really. Tara's not really happy with me though, but it's a bridge I'll have to mend when I'm not being pulled in a million different direction at once."

"The vampires were bounty hunters?" He asked, that stony edge returning to his voice.

"I think so." I gave Eric their descriptions, which he didn't recognise. "I don't get it Eric, who would want me?"

"No clue, but I'm trying to find out why. Presumably for your gift."

"Could it be Victor? Maybe he's trying to get to you through me?"

"It's a possibility, but there are more direct means for him to do so."

"Did you find out anything from Florian?"

Eric shook his head, looking troubled. "That's the problem with mercenaries. Their reputation and livelihood is based around their ability to keep information secret. I wasn't able to extract anything useful from him. He's met the true death."

I tried to feel bad, I really did, but I just couldn't muster the feeling. What I did feel was a little sadistic hope that Eric might be able to torture information from the next bounty hunters we came across. I knew that didn't make me a good Christian, but it seemed like our only hope to finding answers.

Eric linked his fingers through mine, bringing my hand up to press a kiss softly against it. It felt cool and reassuring. "I don't like the idea of you staying out there alone."

"I won't be alone. I have a big Irish brute to protect me. You know, I've seen her take down a millennial old vampire like nobody's business." I poked him in the ribs to try and lighten the mood, and though his expression didn't look impressed, his eyes dancing eyes told me a different story.

"Let me stay with you," he said a heartbeat later. "Until we find the perpetrators."

"At the farmhouse?" I was shocked he offered. "Really?" His face flashed with annoyance.

"Yes, Sookie. I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it. It's also important to show Victor and Felipe that we are committed, living together for the time being will be evidence of that - and since you refuse to stay with me, then I will stay with you instead."

"But, I have no idea what shape that hidey hole is in. I'm sure it's quite dusty and uncomfortable." My brain was racing to think of reasons why this might not be a good idea. "And what if you want to bring back a... Guest?" I couldn't imagine how awkward it would be if Eric needed to bring someone home to feed, and well, you know.

"I will see to the 'hidey hole', and lover, if I'm with you then there is no need for guests." His expression was heated, the bond suddenly lusty. "You know this is the best option for you, for us both. We can placate Felipe and work together to find out who wants to kidnap you."

"Oh hell..." I muttered, seeing the sense in his argument. It would only have to be temporary. "You're trouble, you know that right? How on earth you've convinced me to marry you, well, at least in the vampire sense, and move into my home in the space of two days is worrying. It's this stupid bond, isn't it? Or I'm going soft with age."

"Maybe because both these things make the most sense for your safety. Or perhaps because you actually like me, though you're loathe to admit it."

"Don't start counting your chickens just yet, Eric," I said, and he screwed his nose in confusion at the saying. "Whatever the reason, don't think this means I'm going jump into the sack with you."

I felt his amusement, and he dipped his head to press his lips to my fingers again, much more seductively than the last time, his azure eyes staring up through his lashes at me.

"Dear Sookie, if I can get you to say yes to pledging to me, and to staying with you, then it's only a matter of time until I'm in your bed - rather than on it."

"Oh boy, are these the types of lines that work with the ladies you meet?"

"You say that, but don't forget that I know what you're feeling." He smirked triumphantly as a blush spread upwards from my neck. "Now, tell me what you plan to do with the case of the comatose humans."

"Oh yes," I said with a good serving of bitter sarcasm. "It's Sookie Stackhouse, Private Telepath Detective. The girl who hears everything, but has no freaking clue." I sighed.

"I was hoping Amelia could help," I explained. "I'm still counting on it, frankly. I'm just hoping she'll be in good enough shape to assist me with all those poor patients. I also need her to set up wards around the farmhouse." I groaned, as the responsibilities of the day pressed back onto me. It was easy to be caught up in the little private island Eric and I had created on the bed. "If I can get Octavia to come up and visit, then maybe she can assist."

Eric was quiet for a pause before speaking.

"Would you like me to try glamour Amelia, for her health?"

"Do you think it would work?" I smiled at him, touched he would think to ask.

"Being honest, I'm not sure. It depends on how deep her addiction is. There are some things too deep for glamour to reach. I doubt it would cure a drug addiction completely, but I'm certain it will at least help her on her return to health."

I blinked back tears, my gratitude for Eric overwhelming me. Sometimes he knew exactly what to say and to do, even if he was a manipulative, high-handed ass sometimes. Most of the time.

Eric came close and brushed his lips gently against mine. His lips were cool and feather light, a whisper of an exhale passing between them. I relaxed against him, the day had been too long, too fraught, so I let go and just let him kiss me. I felt his relief and his sense of unexpected pleasure at my acquiescence. I didn't want to think of reasons that I should or shouldn't let him. At that moment, he was making me happy, and that was reason enough.

He moved at vampire speed, and in the next heartbeat I was laying on my back, the blond vampire propped up on his hands above me.

"Yield to me, Sookie."

"You're persistent. I'll give you that." I laughed, a light airy sound as I fought to regain my breath.

"I always get what I want." He dropped his head to my neck, spreading tingling kisses to that sensitive area of skin. I pushed at his chest, my futile attempt to move him, but I couldn't summon enough energy or the desire to push him away. His mouth found my earlobe and he nipped gently, a soft moan escaping my lips.

He pushed himself back up, eyes staring down intensely at my clavicle. It occurred to me that maybe he was hungry. What was the proper etiquette with a newly single, 1000 year old vampire guest, with whom you've agreed to an arranged marriage with? I thought back to when I'd last offered my blood to Eric. We had been naked and sharing the same bed, probably even in the same position. A throb of lust shot through me to my core.

"You can't wear that necklace tomorrow night," he said, his face curiously blank. His words provided the wet blanket I needed for my feelings. He'd been looking at the necklace, not my neck.

"Oh," I said, thumbing the smooth ringed pendant self-consciously. I hadn't taken it off since Mell had put it on me, and I never really planned to take it off, not if I could help it. I'd forgotten I was even wearing it until Eric mentioned it - he was lucky he didn't get burned.

I loved the symbolism of the necklace, and felt a little guilty that I'd be without it, but it made sense. Wearing silver around vampires you purportedly trust is bad manners. I imagine it would be the ultimate faux pas if a bride wore it to a vampire wedding. "I'll be sure to leave it off." I assured him.

He was a mash of mixed feelings, none of them particularly positive. I scooted back in the bed and leaned up against the headboard.

"Do you ever think of that time you stayed with me?" I asked, dropping my fingers to play with the lace edging of the quilt cover. I'd avoided this for too long, but now I found I wanted to know. A ghost of a smile passed his lips before he face returned to its serious mask.

"I've thought of it often these last years. More than I'd like... The things I said when I was with you. The things I promised." His eyebrows drew together as though he was confused with himself. I placed my hands on his shoulders and offered him a reassuring smile.

"It's okay. It was a long time ago, Eric, and I knew you well enough then to know what you're really like, what you would want from me once you regained your memories."

"I want everything from you," he whispered, his tone decisive, absolute. It caught me off guard.

"I'm not sure I'm capable of that," I answered honestly, my voice a whisper. His words had struck me deep in a cold, vulnerable place inside.

"You will be," he said it with complete surety. I was warmed by his decisiveness, though misplaced as it was. He kissed my cheek and sat up, pulling his boots onto his feet. Dawn would be arriving soon. "Pam has enjoyed shopping for your dress for the pledging."

"Eric!" I'd planned to wear something I already owned. I'd thought maybe the one cocktail dress I had in my possession, demure, black, probably paired with Gran's pearl earrings. "That's completely unnecessary."

"You know how Pam is, it's like asking a vulture to avoid carrion." I chuckled at his analogy.

"I swear to God, if she shows up with something white and puffy, then you better expect to be left standing at the altar."

Eric laughed good and hard at that, and it warmed me right to my toes.

"What will be expected of me tomorrow?" I asked.

"It will be kind of similar to what you saw at Rhodes with Russell Edgington and Peter Threadgill. I've arranged for a local vampire to officiate. There will be a small party at the club afterward. Pam has been busy organizing."

"Eric, I hope you understand why I've agreed to do this… I don't consider this a true marriage. It's not, I'm not - well, it's just not like that for me." I fumbled over my words.

His eyes blazed for a moment, he was again staring down to my necklace, before he finally responded.

"It's not for now," he said, and he waggled his brows suggestively at him. I groaned in frustration and hit him on the side of his head with my remaining pillow.

"You're incorrigible!"

He stood to say goodbye, but my hand darted out to grab his and I pulled him back down to me and I planted a firm kiss goodbye on his lips. He was still with surprise, then responded back in kind. My tongue made cautious contact with his, his unique flavor bringing back a flood of memories and pleasure from nights we once shared. My hands lifted to cup his face, enjoying the sensation as my thumbs brushed against his lightly stubbled cheeks.

I didn't know if it was the bond, or my actual feelings for Eric that spurred my actions, but the 'why' of it made me think of what I'd caught Eric reading earlier that night.

If Aristotle believed that happiness was the true meaning, as in the be all and end all purpose of life, then who was I to argue? I was going to enjoy this simple happiness right now, and think about what it meant later, because I knew given my long standing history with life, it wouldn't take too long for the outside world to pop it with a pin.


	9. Chapter 9

**It's been over a week since the last update. In between jury duty, a short hospital stay for my asthmatic two year old, and my 5 yo's b'day and party I've had scant free time. Still have been writing, just slowly. So here is the next instalment!**

**Did you bring your wedding presents?**

**I couldn't remember the wedding ceremony Eric officiated at Rhodes, so I've taken some liberties and made it my own. **

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_That is ever the way. 'Tis all jealousy to the bride and good wishes to the corpse. - James M. Barrie_

"I don't know about this, Sookie. I can't say I'm all that comfortable with the idea. You know Eric's never exactly been my favourite vampire." Amelia's voices sounded thin and tired. It was Sunday morning, and I was sitting at the kitchen counter, phone pressed to my ear, my nails drumming anxiously into the formica counter top.

"I'll be there, Amelia. He won't do anything to harm you. He just wants to help."

"Wants to help himself get into your pants, more like it. That is unless he hasn't got in there already?"

"Oh, hush. If you're uncomfortable with the idea of Eric glamouring you, then how about Pam? I could get Eric to do his maker's command thing, to make sure she doesn't do anything inappropriate."

I heard her sigh slowly, mulling it over. I'd already got her to agree to move back in with me at the farmhouse for the time being, mostly under the pretense that I'd need help warding the old weatherboard home, but I knew agreeing to the glamour would be a big ask. If it were me in her position, I'd be uncomfortable with the idea of someone tampering with my mind - but then again if it were me I probably wouldn't have become a drug addict in the first place.

"Okay, Sook. If you think it will help. Honestly though, you're making a fuss out of nothing. I don't need help. I'm not really an addict. I haven't even had anything since I saw you last." The tight strain to her voice told me she was lying, probably to herself too.

"I know, Amelia, but the help is on offer, so why not take it. I know you can't tell me the extent of what's going on, but I'm going to help you one way or another. I've already had Octavia agree to come and visit once you're here." This was met with silence.

"Sookie. That's a bad idea. You'll put her in danger. Yourself too." Her voice cracked.

"You think I'm going to let you waste your life away and not do anything to find out what the hell is going on with you? Let me help you, or put up and shut up. Either way it's going to happen."

"I can't have you walk into a trap," she cried. "I can't have you - you just need to - argh! This is so frustrating." Tell me about it. My mind had been concocting nightmarish scenarios of why she had been magically gagged and what knowledge she was hiding.

"Just relax. Start packing your things. I'll see you tomorrow night."

Mell wandered into the kitchen after we hung up, dumping a large pile of dishes with a crash next to the sink. She didn't wash them, or even put them in the sink, but it was an improvement.

"Are you making me work overtime while you get yourself into more strife with your witch friend?" she asked.

"She's coming to live with us once we go back to the farmhouse."

Mell thought this over in an overly exaggerated manner, her hip cocked to one side while she tapped her chin in mock contemplation.

"So a telepath, banshee, witch, and a vampire sharing house? It sounds like the makings of a terrible joke. Or a B-grade horror film."

I blinked, my jaw going slack with realisation. I hadn't realised how many of us there would be there under the one roof. It didn't sound like a joke or a horror movie. For a girl who covets her space, it sounded like my idea of the world's worst nightmare.

Pam arrived not long after 7:30pm. I had been pacing nervously since dark, barely able to stomach my dinner of pork chops and baked honey glazed yams. My nerves were balanced on a razor's edge and I'd snapped so many times at Mell over the last few hours that she'd started avoiding me after trying to help me tidy up after dinner.

Before dark, I'd come close multiple times to phoning Eric to call the whole thing off, even once letting it ring through to voicemail. I'd only had two days to think over and get used to the idea of pledging and I'd barely had a spare thought for it in between everything else, but now the time was here it seemed about as stupid as an idea could get, even if I could see the prevailing reason and logic in the act. I'd bet my pinkie finger that Eric waited until the last second to ask me precisely for this reason. Mid-way through my agonizing, I received a text message from him.

_Relax_.

Hah! Said the spider to the fly.

Pam swept in not long after with a large garment bag over one arm, a handful of shopping bags and large makeup case on the other. She looked me up and down and her lips pulled up in a victorious grin, like a lioness who had cornered her prey. I'd already showered, shaved, and taken the time to file and buff my fingernails in preparation for being painted, so I was as ready as I could be for whatever she had planned.

She sat me down on the small white seat in front of my bedroom vanity and painted my nails. It was a gold color that left an effect similar to textured gold leaf across my nails. Her face was set in concentration, fine lines forming between her brows, her lips pursed. I didn't dare ask what dress she had picked, I simply prayed it wasn't too provocative or revealing. I didn't have high hopes.

"Are you nervous?" She asked.

"I'm as nervous as a prize turkey in November."

"A fairy bride in a room full of vampires. It's a very close comparison," she drawled with a wink and began working at brushing out any remaining tangles in my hair. She noticed my pale expression in the vanity mirror and she patted my back. "You will be fine, my friend. We'll run through the order of proceedings once you're all dolled up."

She braided a section at the front of my hair to one side and curled the rest, before pinning it in place in a loose curling updo, and leaving small tendrils to frame either side of my face. Her dainty fingers moved to unclasp the silver pendant that hung around my neck and I jerked away.

"Watch out. It's silver!"

"No, it's not, Sookie," she said, her brow rising in an exasperated manner. "But you still can't wear it." She undid the clasp and handed the delicate necklace to me.

"It's not silver?" I looked down at the necklace in my hand.

"It's white gold."

"Well, then why did Eric ask me not to wear it?" My brow furrowed in confusion. I'd seen him visibly turned off by the necklace multiple times.

"He's mistaken its meaning. He believes you've forged a binding with the demon. It's a type of demon marriage," she explained in response to my puzzled expression. "In demon marriages, it's customary to gift each other necklaces depicting two joined rings. It symbolises eternity, and the binding of one mate to another. Although, I know that's not the case in yours."

"You do?" Our gazes met in the mirror.

"I wasn't born yesterday," she pipped, a smirk pulling at her lips. "You're physically fitter than when you left, there's a little less body fat on you, but your hips have widened, your breasts are still full. I also know that the smaller ring represents a child, not a life mate. Eric, I'm guessing, doesn't know this, or is choosing not to acknowledge its true meaning. He is often blinded by his arrogance." She paused briefly to readjust a pin in my hair before hitting it with another burst of hairspray. "Also, I didn't miss the sadness in your eyes when you came home. Or the fact that you still reek of demon. Didn't take long to put it together."

"I cant believe you worked it out. I didn't want to anyone to know." My chest squeezed tight. Pam set her hairspray down on the vanity, waiting patiently for me to continue. I stared down at my hands whoch were still clasped around the necklace, before speaking.

"We didn't mean to fall pregnant, I was using contraception. I don't know, maybe I missed a pill? I teased Gisli that it was his fault because of his super demon semen." Pam let out a snort. "Well, at least you found it funny. He wasn't so impressed. Mostly, because the pregnancy was about as high risk as one could get. I guess h never really got my humor, either. Anyway, demon blood and human blood don't mix as a rule, but I had to take his blood throughout the pregnancy to make sure my body wouldn't reject the baby or that the baby wouldn't kill me. Thats why I still smell of demon.

"The blood made me sick, real sick the entire time, but I managed to carry him almost full term. We were hopeful that he would survive, as not many demon/human halflings do. Gisli had managed to extend his contract by some since Breandan had been killed, and the fairy war was over some months earlier, and King Zagan was even considering allowing me residency in Binemach to raise him there. It seemed like it might actually work out. He was born at 35 weeks and perfect. Ten little fingers and ten little toes. He was too weak though, there was some issue with his heart. He didn't survive."

"I'm sure that was difficult for you. Will the demon blood will fade?"

"It will over the next month or so, I guess. It gave me crazy mental strength too, as you've already experienced for yourself. That will go, unfortunately. It's a pretty neat party trick. I also have another one..."

I held my palms out flat and sent my excess mental energy down my arms. My hands began to warm and burn, but in a way that didn't hurt or damage my skin. They glowed brightly, like a white hot rod removed from a blacksmith's fire. Pam's eyes widened and I snuffed the heat out.

"I can't do much more than that. Maybe if I'd continued taking his blood I would have been able to shoot fire in the way demons can. Although, I doubt I'd care much for any of it. None of it matters. Finnur died. I'd give everything up that I could if it would bring him back." Pam's cold hand slipped on top of mine for a brief moment, just long enough.

"Please don't tell Eric." I pressed the inside of my dressing gown sleeve to my cheeks, wiping the tears that had spilled. "I can't really explain why exactly, but I'm just not sure I can handle him knowing. It's... It's still too painful. I couldn't handle the pity. I can't bear the thought of him seeing me weak. I'd rather nobody know."

"I understand, my friend. This type of grief is sometimes better left private," she said it a knowing way, and began swiping my face with a cleansing wipe, moving in sure strokes.

"Have you lost a child?" I asked. Her body looked so lithe and youthful, she didn't appear as if she'd ever carried a baby in her human years.

"She was almost my child," she said with bitter inflection. "Not so long after you left I took a human lover. She was sweet and strong willed. We were a good match. She was also dying - cancer. I petitioned Victor to let me turn her, but he denied my request, multiple times. She passed not long after."

"I'm sorry," I said, overcome with a fresh round of tears. Pam tsked sternly and brushed them away with her cloth.

"It's no matter," she said with a dismissive wave. "Time moves on whether we wish it or not. It wasn't meant to be." She may have meant that, but her blue eyes had become red rimmed. We stared at each other through the reflection in the mirror, momentarily united in our shared experiences of loss.

The moment passed and she finished making up my face, a lot heavier look than I would normally pick, with smoky eyes and glossy, peachy lips. I had to admit it made me look good, like I belonged on a red carpet. I turned my head slowly side to side in the mirror, admiring my hair and makeup, and Pam watched on, small arms folded across her chest, her face dimpled with a satisfied smirk. She finally unzipped the garment bag and withdrew the dress.

"Oh, Pam..." I stood from my seat, my hand stroking the delicate fabric.

"It's Alexander McQueen," she declared proudly.

"How did you get this in such short time?" I asked, lifting the gown from her hands.

"A vampire is not without her tricks."

"So... Glamour?" Pam nodded in reply and I rolled my eyes. "Well, I hope you didn't steal it."

"Wouldn't dream of it, my little telepath. Now, I'll give you a minute to get dressed, the rest of what you need you'll find in the bags."

"Wait," I said, stopping her before she exited my bedroom. "How can Eric marry me if he believes I'm already married?"

"Things aren't as rigid as they are with human traditions, Sookie. It wouldn't be unheard of to marry more than one, across ceremonies of different types of supes."

I wrinkled my my nose in distaste. Ifnthat were the case, then I was a fan of the more 'rigid' form of human marriage. I wondered what Eric thought about it all.

She left me to my own devices, and I waited until I could hear her chatting with Mell in the lounge room before inspecting the other bags. I opened the first one and discovered a lingerie set in just the right size. There was a lacy thong, dusky peach in color, more a scrap of fabric rather than an item of clothing. It came with a matching bra, sheer and lace. I had a sudden vision of her sneaking into my room at night to peek at my sizing in my underwear drawer. I probably wasn't far off the truth.

I slipped into the underwear and then the dress, which I happily found unzipped up at the side, so it saved me from pulling it over my hair and face. In the last bag was a pair of nude heels. They were simple, probably ridiculously expensive, but how they looked hardly mattered since they would be hidden underneath the long dress. I was thankful for the long sweeping hem, it meant more than just my heels could be hidden, and I strapped my dagger to my calf. I checked my reflection, in a detached sort of manner, trying to appraise how I really looked. If Pam was going for 'fairy bride' then I think she hit her mark.

I met them in the lounge room, and twirled slowly, careful not to step on the trailing hem. The gown was very simple in its cut, sleeveless with a high crew neck, the waist tapering in just enough to highlight the curves of my waist and hips, without clinging tightly. It fell away at the hips in a cascade of loosely flowing fabric that trailed a little ways behind me. It was made of a sheer crepe like material that felt delicate as raw silk and was dusky cream in color, with just a hint of smoky peach ombre at the bottom.

What made the dress so magnificent was the extensive gold embroidery and beadwork across the bodice in a leafy filigree pattern. It highlighted the curves around my breasts and waist and was not in the least bit wedding-like or typical. This wasn't a dress. It was a stunning piece of worn art.

Mell raised her brows appreciatively and Pam clapped slowly.

"If you survive tonight dressed like that then I'll be surprised," Mell said, master of the backhanded compliment. She was dressed in her ancient style leather armor, dark tunic underneath, her hair tightly held back in its usual bun.

"Oh please, she could be dressed in a potato sack and they'd still be scrambling over themselves to get to her magical fairy pussy."

"Pam!" I cried, as Mell guffawed loudly, falling sideways into Pam. Pam pushed Mell across to the other end of the settee with a mere flick of her wrist and smiled innocently at me.

Pam showed me the midnight blue velvet parcel containing the gold ceremonial knife. As she explained it, it would be a simple ceremony. I just needed to remember to do everything in the correct order. Easier said than done, I hated being in the centre of attention. I was trembling with nerves before we even left.

"Finally, this is your mandatory bling." Pam pressed a small red velvet pouch into my hand.

"You know this isn't real a wedding, don't you?"

"If it looks like a chicken..."

"Okay, okay. Thats not even the right saying, and yes, point taken, but you know what I mean. I'm not swearing my undying love so we can dance off into the sunset - although thank you for the gift."

I tipped the pouch and two stud earrings tumbled into my palm. They were thumbnail sized gold and diamond encrusted topaz earrings in a smoky cornsilk color, it perfectly matched the dress. I hugged Pam long enough for her to tersely tell me to back off, and I had my first real laugh for the evening as I put the studs on.

We traveled to Fangtasia in a matte black Jeep that Pam had driven over. It was nondescript, bar the bumper sticker that read, 'The closer you get, the quicker I bite', beside a set of dripping cartoon fangs. The vehicle had plenty of room in the back so I was able to stretch out across the seats and avoid crumpling the dress. I struggled to see through the tinted windows, they were borderline opaque and I had no clue how Pam managed to drive safely looking through the windscreen, although I had to admit I felt like VIP traveling through the quiet city streets of Shreveport.

I spent the drive sitting quietly and listening as Mell and Pam held a lively and graphic debate over the merits of disemboweling an assailant before killing them. I think it was a nasty ploy to keep me distracted, which actually worked to an extent.

Pulling into the parking lot, Pam maneuvered the car to the single remaining empty spot beside Eric's corvette. I twisted in my seat to look at the multitude of cars, my nerves ratcheting to an unprecedented level, and my mind confirmed the bar filled with the presence of over two dozen voids and almost as many humans and even a few weres.

As we walked to the entrance, I clutched the velvet parcel tightly in my hands, wishing I could just skip ahead in time and have the ceremony over with already. I breathed deeply and with the first exhale I felt awash with calm, my nerves settling to a small buzz in my stomach. Eric.

Pam walked in ahead, her pastel blue peplum mini dress hugging her slender curves tightly, cream heel clicking noisily on the red vinyl floors past the cloak room. She pulled on the double doors that lead from the hallway to the bar and held it open for me. The rumbling banter of the bar ceased into complete, dead silence.

I walked on past her, using nearly all my strength to keep my face still and not jerking up into my Crazy Sookie smile. The crowd parted and I made my way through the gap in the throng, Mell following behind. The Fangtasia dancefloor was illuminated with great strings of fairy lights and the walls were hung with swathes of rouched satin fabric in the same color as the topaz earrings. Where Eric's throne once sat, was now a large golden arch.

Eric stood beneath it a serious expression painted across his face, although I felt his pride, lust and affection. He'd chosen a grey slim cut suit and jet black shirt, with the top button undone, a few stray golden hairs poking up from below.

To my astonishment, beside him stood Bill. His expression stony and tense, hair combed back and features impeccably smooth. He wore a navy suit with a small American flag pinned to the lapel. I didn't need Pam to have explained Bill's new profession. He looked a textbook definition of a politician.

I narrowed my eyes accusingly at Eric and his amusement overflowed within the bond. Of course, who else would Eric have picked to officiate our pledging, other than Bill? I dipped my head politely towards Bill as he came to assist me with the steps up onto the stage.

I stood to face Eric and handed Bill the large navy parcel. Bill opened the flaps of velvet and collected a golden chalice from the stand beside him, so that he was holding one item in each hand. The sepia fairy lighting shone off the polished golden items in a brilliant blaze.

"We gather this night, to bear witness to the pledging of Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse. Let their blood be married and strengthened by this pledge and bond, from now until one century has passed." Bill addressed the crowd, his voice smooth and slick, enunciated to practiced precision. A true politician, indeed.

Recognising my cue, I retrieved the knife from its velvet bed and kissed the cold blade before running the sharpened tip hard across my wrist.

Eric's eyes burned into mine as blood ran into the chalice. They were so filled with fathomless need, it was incalculable and immobilising. The blood dripped in pattering drops and I felt completely stripped down by his gaze, so that only the barest, most essential part of my spirit remained. It was the vertiginous reaction of standing on top of a skyscraper. Terrifying. Exhilarating.

When the wound stopped dripping I passed Eric the knife and he mimicked my actions, before handing the knife back to me again. I returned it to Bill's waiting hand. I collected the chalice and took a sip of mixed blood, keeping my face an emotionless mask in order to cover my distaste, and passed the golden cup along to Eric and he drank the remainder, handing it back roughly to Bill, his eyes still never leaving me.

The bond thrummed, like a radio station adjusted to perfect tuning after years of never being on quite the right band, and my body felt warmed by the metallic flavoured elixir. It was pleasant, but unnerving. Bill stepped back, placing the items back down on the stand, indicating the ceremony's end.

Polite applause broke from the vampires present, followed seconds later by louder clapping from the remainder of the mortal crowd, who'd realised a few moments too late that the ceremony had ended. It was fast and to the point, like most things involving vampires, and just like that Eric and I were pledged.

Eric placed one hand at the small of my back, and drew me close in a single smooth movement. He brought my wrist to his mouth and gently licked at the wound, and I tittered in embarrassment, feeling the eyes of the room still upon us.

"That's quite enough now, Eric," I said, as music began playing. It was Justin Timberlake's Take Back the Night. The crowd spread, some moving to the bar and many more began dancing.

I moved away from Eric's grasp and turned to thank Bill, but he had disappeared, the knife and chalice gone from the stand.

"I asked him to store the items in the office safe after the ceremony," Eric explained, and clasped my hand in his as we walked across the stage. He dipped his head close to mine. "You did well, and you look beautiful, like a vision."

"You can thank Pam for that. Sje worked hard this evening. The ceremony wasn't as painful as I thought, either. I was positive I was going to get it all wrong, although I'm not sure you slurping blood off my arm like body chocolate was entirely necessary."

"It was for me," he grinned, showing a hint of fang. Oh, brother.

I spotted Mell in the centre of the bar floor, burning a hole on the dancefloor with her moves. I'd have to ask later, but with Eric by my side for the evening, I guessed she was letting her hair down, so to speak.

"Did you want to dance?" Eric asked.

"No, I'd rather get this over with." I linked my arm with his and followed him across the bar towards Felipe, who was easy to spot thanks to his deep red cape.

"Ah, the lovely Miss Stackhouse, or should I say Mrs Northman? It is good to see you again, and looking so bewitching too." He swept close and air kissed my cheeks, an overt display for the crowd. "Warm salutations to you on this special night. I am pleased to see that you have decided to return to us."

"Thank you, Sir." I bowed my head to the Spanish vampire, in a move I hoped appeared deferential.

"Congratulations to you too, Eric. A wonderful display, you have certainly made yourself the envy of many vampires in Northern America. I just hope your little telepath heels well for you, for both your sake and mine." His voice was light, but the threat cut crystal clear between his words.

"I think you will find that together Sookie and I will make a formidable team. At your next convenience shall we sit down and discuss the terms of her contract?"

I warmed me that he thought of us as a team, rather than letting Felipe refer to me as a human that ought to heel, like a pet. I squeezed his hand.

"That would be amenable," replied Felipe. "I'll have Victor arrange a time before I leave for Alabama." Felipe turned back to his entourage with whom he had been chatting to, effectively dismissing us.

Eric lead me away and we spent time making our way through the crowd greeting and chatting with guests. It was a useful time for me to familiarize myself with all the different vampires of Area 5 and I kept my eyes peeled for the two bounty hunters I'd spied from Tara's mind.

Eventually we settled into Eric's usual booth. My feet were beginning to ache and I'd tripped up on the hem of my gown more than once. A shapely waitress delivered a gin and tonic for me and a Tru Blood in front of Eric. It was a surreal version of déjà vu to be back sitting in the club, nearly ten years on, still negotiating my way through the politics of vampire rulers and regents.

"What are you thinking?" Eric asked. I swirled the straw around my glass studying the lime wedge and ice cubes as they formed a whirlpool.

"About how much things change and yet stay the same. I can't decide which I hate more."

"I've found it's not about which you hate more, but simply accepting what is, what you can to change it to your favor." He leaned table and stroked my forearm with his long fingers. "You can head home now, if you wish. You've fulfilled your duties for the evening. I can see you're tired."

"While that does sound awful tempting I wanted to wait until I spoke to Victor first. Was he here before I arrived? I haven't seen him yet."

"Yes, although I'd say he's probably waiting for just the right time to speak to us. I saw him move away whenever we came close." Eric cast his eyes over the crowd searching. There was now a vampire DJ set up on stage, DJ Distemper, and the dancefloor was overflowing with bodies.

Thalia approached us and stood at the booth, asking Eric about the availability of certain human donors for the night, and I slid out of the booth, mumbling something about the bathroom. Some conversations I was happy not to be privy to, but there was something else I needed to do.

I walked out into the hallway and around the corner near Eric's office, and stood against the painted black wall, waiting. I figured it wouldn't take too long. Party goers were moving through the hall, most of the breathing counterparts only to use the restrooms, and some of the undead slipping out the back with their companions for 'alone time'. I only stood there for a minute longer before I was joined.

"Hello, Victor."

"Hello, Sookie. Waiting for me?" The small dark haired man was dressed neatly in a dark burgundy shirt, black slacks and an unbuttoned black sports coat pulled behind his arms. He had his hands tucked casually into his pockets.

"I figured you'd probably want to catch me alone at some point this evening."

He nodded, blurring forward until he was uncomfortably close to me. His head dipped to my neck and he inhaled slightly. I held still, allowing him his moment.

"It seems you have been busy since you've been away," he stepped back, to look me up and down, the leer unmistakable on his snake-like features.

"I've heard the same said about you. Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't tried to claw your way into Felipe's throne in all this time. I suppose it must be too great a task, even for you."

"You'd be wise to watch your mouth, foolish fairy," Victor snapped, his eyes darkening. I laughed brightly, happy that I'd struck a nerve. It was the one aspect of this discussion I had actually planned in advance, carefully wording the statement in my mind during my more tense moments earlier in the day.

With no other motive clear, it was safe to assume the vampire bounty hunters were sent by Victor. His entire existence was based on a ruthless treachery to advance his own position, and the only reason he would want me alive would be to use me as leverage - either with Eric, or more likely, to manipulate my gift in such a way that would find himself on Felipe's throne.

His snarling reaction had been as I expected, and had simultaneously given away that taking the throne was on his list of things he was hell bent on. It was just a question of why he hadn't made a move in so long.

"I'd be careful yourself," I taunted. "I'm not the one that has to watch my actions on pain of final death."

Victor's hand shot out to grip my upper arm tightly, his fingers pressing painfully deep into the flesh. His eyes savagely roved the exposed expanse of my neck.

"Acting like you're untouchable while immersing yourself in the vampire world is a quick way to find yourself dead and drained, telepath." I tried to shake him off, but his grip remained firm. If the stragglers walking past noticed our heated discussion, they gave no indication. Pretty par for course with vampires, although I had no doubt they'd be gossiping about it later. "And if I were you I wouldn't expect Eric to keep bailing you out of your constant stream of messes, especially as he is free to do, see, date, suck and fuck who he likes."

I paled at his words, which were almost a direct quote for what I'd said to Eric in the car park a few nights earlier, albeit a slightly more crass version. Victor had spies, probably Eric's girlfriend, and while Eric and I may have been pledged now, nothing had changed between us, not really - and Victor knew this. A few kisses between a sleep deprived woman and a 1000 year old vampire does not a commitment make. Victor, however, was just looking to drive a wedge between the already shaky friendship Eric and I were reestablishing.

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to, Victor. I know exactly what it is you're doing here in Shreveport. If you think I'm going to sit idly by while you threaten me, in order to stake your claim on the throne then you're sorely mistaken."

I reached up with my free hand to squeeze the one he had gripping my arm. My hand blazed with sudden heat, glowing brightly and sizzling his flesh. He gasped with pain, dropping my arm from his grasp and stepping back. I clenched my fist, extinguishing the heat and I saw a cast of fear color his eyes before his hard expression returned.

"Tell me how you found out," he seethed, nursing his blistering hand.

"You don't have to be a genius to put it together, Victor." I pushed past him to walk back to the bar. As if he wouldn't be the first person I'd expect to put a bounty on my head. Who was he kidding?

"It was the witch," he snarled.

I froze mid-stride. The witch? Did he mean Amelia? What did she have to do with this? I turned around, but Victor was gone, blurring out through the employee exit at speed. Maybe Victor had nothing to do with the bounty, and everything to do with something else equally nefarious? I walked over and kicked the back door shut with anger. Everywhere I looked was full of dark corners brimming with questions and confusion.

I retreated back towards the bar area, physically, mentally, and emotionally depleted. Eric and Mell were walking up to find me, their long strides in sync and they were for once not staring daggers at each other.

"Why were you angry? And why can I smell burning flesh?" Eric asked. He was looking far from pleased.

"Ooh, have you been cooking fangers, Sookie? I'm sorry I missed the show."

"I'm ready to go home now," I said, hugging my arms protectively as I continued past them down the dimly lit corridor.

* * *

**So, we're finally starting to see some answers with Sookie's past. Sorry if it's not as interesting as some of you may have envisioned. Some reviewers said it was cruel, yes I suppose it is, but that can be the nature of life sometimes. Those events play a part in the growth of Sookie Stackhouse, it's not a means to an end, but how she deals with it will help her build a HEA that she will be happy with, one that CH's Sookie wouldn't have been.**

**I'd also like to say that I don't agree with Pam's statement that grief is sometimes better left private. That's her vampire sensibilities on display, and definitely not my personal opinion. Yes, to an extent a lot of it is dealt with privately, but grief should most definitely be shared. Sookie will learn this, probably the hard way, since that's her style. I hope that didn't upset anyone who has experienced anything similar. **

**Links to Sookie's dress will be up on my profile page very soon. **

**Also, how good is the quote for this chapter?!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself. - Maya Angelou_

I woke that morning with a start to my blaring alarm. I was laid out on top of the bed still in the wedding gown, shoes off and my dagger carefully placed on my night stand, and it took me a few good minutes to realise I'd fallen asleep on the drive home and slept through until morning. I rolled out of bed, showered and got Mell out of bed and we hit the road in record time.

LSU Teaching hospital was a bust. The visit to the teaching hospital wasn't as disappointing as it had been when I'd left Willis-Knighton on Saturday, mostly because I'd expected nothing to come from my mental searching of the comatose.

Andy handed me an envelope after first meeting us at the hospital entrance.

"Here is a list of names of the patients, alive and deceased. Maybe you can have a look over and see if you 'get' anything from it?"

"My mind doesn't really work like that." He looked so utterly dismayed that I accepted the envelope anyway and tucked it into my purse. "But I'll take a look for you, all the same."

The fatigue and stress of the previous three days were catching up with me fast, and my brain moved slower than molasses, but I still took my time to check each patient thoroughly, with Mell in quiet attendance.

As we walked through the foyer towards the exit, Andy pointed out a sign that lead towards the Eastern wing of the hospital.

"Did you hear Vampire Bill donated money for a new department here?"

The sign depicted a large black arrow pointing towards the East wing of the facility. '_Caroline Compton center for Drug Rehabilitation'. _ I wanted to be surprised, I really did, but at that point everything was such a confusing unknown that I was simply waiting for the next weird thing to happen and this only added to the long list of peculiar happenings in Shreveport.

"That's extremely generous of him. Did he name it after his late wife?"

"Yes, ma'am. It was generous, all from his own pocket," he held the door open for Mell and I as we walked out to the lot. "Did you know Bill and I are related?"

"Really? Well, isn't that something. Bill was always sure he had no living relatives. Although, I suppose it's not all that unusual seeing as the Comptons and Bellefluers go way back in the history of Bon Temps."

"That's it. He's my great-great-great-grandfather."

"I see why you picked Caroline for the name of your daughter. I bet he was touched you named her after his late wife," I smiled at the thought. Bill had always been very sentimental about his human life, more so than most vampires. I knew it would have meant a lot to him.

"He's a good man. Well, good vampire. He's worked hard to improve things around here," Andy said.

"And so what's the deal with all the drug use in Shreveport? How big of a problem is it? It must be big if it's enough to warrant opening a whole new rehab centre..."

"It's a huge problem all around Northern Louisiana at the moment. Cocaine in the cities and crack cocaine in the rural areas."

"What makes it so special? I heard it was mixed with something."

Andy shrugged. "Street name for the cocaine is Glucose, and you're right, apparently it's mixed with something, but damned if I know what. It's not my department's problem, anyway.

Andy, Mell, and I walked out through the lot to his plain black police cruiser and I waited as he the fished the keys from his pockets

"I wonder where it's all coming in from?" I asked.

He shrugged unlocking the car door, but I plucked the extra information from his brain. They had no idea. Drugs dealers weren't revealing their sources, regardless of the extremely favorable jail time deals that were offered, and as far as they could tell it wasn't being imported by the usual means from central and south America. Andy felt he had bigger fish to fry, so was leaving the drug problem to the other officers in charge, until told otherwise.

After visiting St Francis Hospital for the last two patients, Andy dropped Mell and I back at my car and he told me he'd call once he'd arranged for the parents of Jenny Cornish, the young patient at Willis-Knighton, to come in and bring her dog.

* * *

I stopped by Beltane Gem, and Amelia, obviously high, was cheerfully zipping around preparing for the wards that she wanted to cast around my home.

I'd called her as soon as I left Fangtasia the night before, and told her to rescind the invitation for any vampires she'd ever welcomed into her home, and to not open the door for anyone. Her voice was thick with sleep, but she grumpily agreed before hanging up. I wanted desperately to ask her about Victor, but I had a strong feeling that even if she was connected to him in some way, that she wouldn't be able to tell me.

"I'll be able to get the first ward up tonight," Amelia chirped. "That will prevent people with ill will for you from entering or harming your home. They won't even be able to walk up the porch steps," she assured, grabbing some books from a low shelf behind the counter.

"Or try and burn it down," I added, thinking back to Charles Twining, the pirate vampire. Amelia placed the stack of books on the countertop and began quickly leafing through the top book, _Earthly Bindings and Wards_.

"Exactly," she pipped brightly, leafing rapidly through the pages. "It should take me a week or so to get your house completely sorted. I have other warding work that takes up my time in the evenings, so I'll have to do yours as I can fit it in, but I can manage. I don't need much sleep."

No, she probably didn't when she was high, but that would be changing soon.

"Well, the sooner the better, but any help is appreciated," I smiled, trying to mask my irritation. I was getting nervous with every night that passed. It wouldn't be long before there'd be another attempt at taking me away and I wanted to cover my ass as quickly as possible.

"Hurry up and ask Amelia about the coma patients," Mell said. She was picking through a bowl of cheap silver rings sitting on the counter, and trying them on. "I'm getting sick of being dragged from one hospital to another. It's depressing. Too much death, but it's not the fun kind, the slow miserable kind."

Amelia's face turned a pale shade, making her drawn features look green. She continued to turn the pages of the book trying to appear unaffected.

"Amelia?"

"It's okay," she waved her hand dismissively. "Tell me what's been going on."

I explained as succinctly as I could about the comatose patients and their missing minds. Amelia's mind was still that tangled, tied up mess, so I couldn't get a firm reading of what she thought about it. Her hand froze as she was mid page turn, when I told her about bringing in Jenny Cornish's dog to try and rouse a response from the girl.

"Do you know anything about this all?"

"Look, I'll do what I can, Sookie. I'll be happy to help."

She was clearly deflecting, and while the murky pool of strange going-ons in town was still no clearer to me, I was beginning to have the inclination that it was all somehow connected.

Mell had chosen a handful of silver rings and placed them onto the counter to be rung up for sale.

"Just so you know, witch, I've already picked the biggest room upstairs. Sookie and her vampire are having the first floor bedroom."

"Sookie and her what?!" Amelia shut the book with a snap, her brown eyes boring into me.

"Oh yeah, she's a married woman now. Should-a seen her last night, ever the blushing bride." Mell handed some bills across to Amelia, who accepted them in shocked silence. The Irish imp began slipping the rings on across her fingers, one for every digit, except her thumbs. She flexed her fists looking down at them approvingly.

"Shut the front door. Sookie, please don't me she telling the truth?

If the good Lord had decided to let the floor swallow me up in that moment I swear I wouldn't have done anything to resist. I cleared my throat nervously, adjust the hem of my T-shirt.

"Well... Yes. Eric and I were pledged last night. He'll be staying at the farmhouse for a little while, not every night, but he'll be there tonight."

"Get out. So what, you two are an item now?"

"Well, no, not exactly - but, according to the vampire way, then yes. It's more a means to protect me and make sure someone else doesn't try to take me away."

"Do you think it means the bounty will be called off?"

"I doubt it." I thought back to my conversation with Victor. The look of hatred and determination on his face. I still was no longer sure if he was the one who called the bounty on my head, but I couldn't discount the possibility.

"Then I'm not sure I see the point in pledging."

"The point is," I spoke slowly, over enunciating in annoyance, "the King of Louisiana can't come and legally snatch me up, and lock me in a room in Vegas, to use me as his one trick pony whenever it suits him. The point is, that it means I get to keep my life here."

Amelia shrugged and opened the book again, looking contemplative. "We'll see."

I pulled my purse over my shoulder with a glare. "Well, I have to go. I'll see you tonight, Amelia. I haven't asked Pam yet, but her bar is shut on Mondays, so I'm sure she can swing by to help you out with the glamouring. C'mon Mell, let's go."

Mell stayed leaning on the counter, grinning like an idiot. "Don't want to get on her bad side, Amelia. She's awfully hot-handed these days,"

"I think you mean hot-headed, not hot-handed."

"Oh no, I said what I meant."

We left the small occult store with Amelia gazing after us in puzzlement. At least she knew a little of how I'd been feeling the past few days. Completely out of the loop.

* * *

It was the type of weather that was quintessentially southern. Fat drops splattered and splashed to the ground in a rumbling downpour, and it hampered our efforts at moving furniture for the first hour after returning from Shreveport. The rain sent plumes of steam off the grassy lawns and hot pavements throughout the neighborhood, carrying with it the intoxicating fragrance of confederate jasmine and flowering gardenias, mixed in with the sweet scent of moisture and damp earth. It was the heady perfume of nostalgia and sweet homecoming, and it was adding to my growing excitement of returning to my cherished childhood home for good.

Once the rain abated Mell and I worked hard through the afternoon loading on the furniture, hastily packed boxes and garbage bags full of items into the back of my pick up truck. Mell insisted we leave her room untouched as well as the new items she provided in the dining and kitchen areas, saying she'd already imprinted the items so she'd be able to summon them at the farmhouse when she wished.

I had no clue what she was talking about, other than understanding the general gist of it, but I was already carrying a plateful of questions without answers, so I didn't fancy adding another to the pile by asking.

I took a moment between hauling furniture to leave a voicemail for Pam, asking her as politely as I could muster if she wouldn't mind assisting me that evening with Amelia, and hoping that she wouldn't feel too put out.

We loaded the truck tighter than a tin of sardines and drove to the farmhouse as the cloud cover was clearing and the sky was changing into sunset shades of pink and orange. I'd have to call around to Sam later in the week and give the keys back. I'd paid a month in advance, so I hoped he wouldn't be too upset with me for pulling out of our lease agreement. I left behind a few boxes of things that didn't fit, so I still needed to the rental house for a little while in order to collect the rest of my belongings and clean up.

I pulled in around the back of the farmhouse to the usual spot where I used to park my old yellow hatchback, and I carried in two garbage bags filled with clothes and linen. I dropped them just inside the bedroom door and let out a shriek when I stepped back into the kitchen. Mell was sitting in the kitchen at the round wooden table that we'd used as a dining table at the rental. The coffee machine had found a new home in the far corner of the kitchen bench and there were boxes of kitchen items, boxes we'd left on kitchen floor of the rental house, lined up neatly on the floor of my kitchen.

"If it was this easy for you to bring this stuff over I don't understand why couldn't have done your imprinting, or whatever the heck it is, with everything else! It could have saved us an afternoon of work."

I stuck my head into the sitting room and saw that she'd moved items off the back of the pickup, specifically the settee and coffee table, and a box of books. I stomped over and began hauling the small couch across to its usual place. There was another larger couch and armchair that would need to be brought in from the barn later. The sitting area looked decidedly spare without them.

Mell followed me in and helped move the coffee table in front of where I'd positioned the floral settee.

"You looked like you needed the exercise," Mell offered by way of explanation. I let out a huff of irritation, pushing my hair off my sweaty brow.

"You know, you can be a real bi-"

"I meant, because you needed the distraction."

"Oh." I flopped down onto the settee, deflated.

"Yes, 'oh'. Jesus woman, always jumping to the wrong bloody conclusion."

I ignored her and let my mind sweep out to around the property and surrounding area. As my mind moved across the familiar topography it bumped into a void and two human brains over at Bill's and so I increased my range further until I was maybe a mile or two away, tracking a family moving at speed, in a car, along the highway.

I brought the range back in and with a shock, my brain bumped into two voids out on the edge of the woods surrounding the house. It was so soon after dark that it couldn't be Eric or Pam, plus Eric's end of the bond come to life a while before sunset and he still felt a little ways away. Whoever the vampires were, they were either staying with Bill, or had gone to ground for the day somewhere close by.

"Vampires, on the perimeter of the trees, down on the south-eastern section of the tree line, past the big oak."

Mell drew her sword and flittered to the window.

"Don't scare them off," I said, hopping up to look over her shoulder out the window. I pulled the lacy curtain back, squinting to see through the dark. "We need to figure out what they know."

"Do I look that fecking stupid? I'll be right back."

I stood at the door, nervously chewing the quick on my thumb, waiting for her to return, and turning my focus of to the two voids and now buzzing sensation of Mel through my mind.

There was a lot of scuffling movement; I could hear grunts, curses, and a shriek, all with the front door shut. The fight continued for another tense minute, before I heard the distinctive sound of Mell hollering in rage and the vampires finally disappeared at speed. I opened the door and skipped down the porch steps two at a time to meet Mell down on the lawn. She trudged back up to the house past me, her neck wounded and bloody, her sword covered in gore.

"Okay, so I may have scared them off."

"Oh my god, you're bleeding. Are you OK?"

"I'll heal," she grunted, stopping at the garden faucet to rinse off the blade. Red blood and viscera slid off the polished sword, running in tiny red rivulets across the grass.

"Do you think they were the vampires I saw in Tara's mind?"

"Probably, and evidently they've decided to focus on taking me out together before getting to you."

I rubbed my hands nervously against my denim shorts, my eyes fixated on the steadily bleeding wound on her neck. I'd say they came close to achieving their goal.

I jogged into my bedroom, tearing open a black garbage bag, and pulling out a towel. I met Mell at the top of the porch and pressed the towel into the gaping and torn bite.

"Come and sit at the kitchen, I'll get you cleaned up."

Inside, I filled a bowl with water and dabbed gently at the wound, and Mell sighed and shut her eyes in response. The wound had slowed its bleeding, and the edges of the gash were beginning to stitch closed.

"I overdid it today. I shouldn't have been showing off, imprinting everything," she opened her eyes to smile sheepishly up at me.

"Why? Does it make you tired?"

"No, just makes me clumsier, less surefooted. I can't react as quickly."

"I don't really understand..." I squeezed the corner of the damp, bloody towel over the bowl and walked across the kitchen to bring my handbag over. From inside it, I pulled out my butterfly knife and sliced into a dry corner of the towel so I could pull a strip off. I folded the strip and held it to her neck, before placing Mell's hand firmly over it to keep it in place. "Sorry, that'll have to do for now. I don't have a first aid kit, it's probably packed away in the barn."

"Think of my power like a magnifying glass in the sun. A small ray of sunshine is enough to start a fire if you direct the glass properly. That's how I use the sword. It's essentially the magnifying glass to my natural ability. It focuses and enhances what is already there. Not that I'm any paltry ray of sunshine, mind you. The sword can only handle so much within a given period of time, if I overdo it I can't harness my magic as artfully as I'd like.

"So, when I'm summoning objects I have to imprint on them first channeling my ability the sword. I focus my magic to merge the object's natural source with my own, and once I've done that I can move them from one place to another."

"How do you know you're moving it exactly where you need to?"

"I just need to have been there and seen the place." It sounded kind of like how Claudine and Niall could 'pop' from place to place. I turned on the kitchen faucet, letting the cool water run over my hands, and used a stray dishcloth to scrub at the red stains caught around the edges of my nails. I mulled over her words.

"What about those clothes you donated? You didn't just dump them did you?" She had only arrived in Bon Temps the days before, I couldn't imagine her knowing where exactly to donate them.

"Oh no, there's a nice thrift shop in Belfast that I'm sure was very thankful to receive your donation."

"You donated my clothes in Ireland?" I blinked, bewildered. "And what about the beignet you gave me that first morning?"

Mell let out a chortle, and winced when she moved her neck back too fast, "I bought it in Shreveport the day before and packed it in the bag I brought with me. Food doesn't normally travel too well when you summon it."

"Well, aren't you just a mixed bag of tricks."

* * *

I made us a simple dinner of mashed potatoes, collard greens, and sausages, with Mell excitedly bumping me away from the stove with her hips to make her own brown onion gravy. I couldn't stomach much, my gaze kept settling on the gored vampire bite. It was healing at a supernatural rate, though not quite as fast as vampire speed, but it was just the mere presence of the wound that left me feeling feeling deeply unsettled.

I excused myself and ran a bath, finding the vanilla and jasmine scented bubble mixture in my bag of toiletries. I sank gratefully into the deep tub, focusing on the gentle lapping of water against the porcelain and the din of the crickets from outside, who were singing happily after the good downpour.

I heard Eric's corvette pull in the drive sometime later and I dunked my head under the cooling water to wet my hair. When I came back up for air, Eric was leaning against the doorframe, watching me. I hastily scooped the bubbles so they covered my privates.

"Some privacy would be nice," I said.

Eric stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. "Better?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and didn't bother answering, I knew him well enough to know any response would egg him further on.

He sat on the edge of the tub and picked up the shampoo, squirting some into his hand, and began massaging it into my scalp. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensations, the comfort of his touch and proximity.

"Why does everyone close to me have to be put at risk simply for knowing me?" I asked quietly.

"You're worried for the banshee?" He sounded incredulous, like her safety hardly warranted a second thought.

"Her name is Mell," I answered, feeling peevish. "And yes."

"Pam is tending to her wound now. She'll be fine. Pam tells me imp blood is very palatable. Mell may have lost the two bounty hunters, but she hurt them both enough to make them bleed. I'll be able to recognize their scent better now." His fingers were pressing circles in my scalp with exquisite firmness.

"It's not just that... I guess I didn't expect it to be this difficult coming home. Well, maybe a little difficult for me, but not for the people around me. I was just so ready to be in control of my life."

"It will be easier when things settle." Eric scooped a handfuls of water onto my hair, rising out the shampoo.

"I sure hope so."

I let the silence reign while Eric conditioned my hair and I 'listened' in to how he was feeling through the bond. It was a blend of many feelings: worry, pleasure, contentment, lust, hunger. I rinsed the conditioner out by dunking my head back under and when I came up Eric was offering me a towel, with a sultry smile.

"You know, when I said privacy I meant you on the other side of the bathroom door."

"I find persistence pays off."

"Just turn around please." I huffed, grabbing the towel from his hand. He winked at me before turning, and I stood, wrapping myself in the towel, tucking it in tightly at the chest.

I carefully stepped over the rim and when Eric turned back around I stood on my tippy-toes to kiss him chastely on the lips.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure," he rumbled, pulling me close. I let him kiss me again, and I felt the insistent throb of lust through the bond. Mine or his, I couldn't be sure, probably both and I moaned in thrill at the feel of his evident pleasure pressing hard against me. I tangled my fingers in his hair, letting myself get lost in the moment. He gripped my bottom tightly to him and deepening his kiss, our tongues now exploring each others. I hooked my free thumb at the top of my towel to pull it away. I was ready to lose myself in the moment for the whole night.

His cool hand caught mine, stilling the movement. I opened my eyes in confusion and Eric broke away from the kiss, resting his forehead against mine. I tried to slow my breathing and bring down the pace of my beating heart down, bring down the level of lust I was feeling. Eric was an odd mix of regret, uncertainty, disappointment, and still healthy doses of lust.

"Sookie, I want nothing more than to reacquaint myself completely with you tonight... but, I can't."

"Why not?"

"I won't until I have you completely."

"What? Well, here I am standing before you in my complete form." A breathy, uncertain kind of laugh escaped my lips, and I tried to kiss him again. His frown line deepened and he took a step back.

"You know what I mean."

"I really don't. Please enlighten me." I crossed my arms over my chest, equal parts miffed and hurt at his rejection.

"Not until you're mine. Until you accept you're mine."

"Geez louise, so we're back to this broken record?"

Eric's blue eyes flashed with anger and he jerked the bathroom door open, heading back towards the front of the house and leaving me alone in the bathroom.

I took a deep breath to collect myself. I understood what he was asking of me. Maybe not the why of it, but I knew what he was after. That vampire, with whom I'd had a brief dalliance and a decent friendship with nearly a decade earlier, wanted me to commit my everything to him before moving forward in our relationship, or whatever you'd call it.

I wanted him, that I knew for sure - how could anyone not want that gorgeous 6'5 package of a vampire? I just couldn't say I was ready to be his and everything that went with that so quickly, especially when moments earlier I was purely focused on seeing to my own carnal needs rather than thinking what it meant for our future. The fact was, I'd barely spent anytime with him since returning home. It was kind of preposterous that he would ask so much of me and so soon.

I'd never in a million years have imagined that I'd ever be on this side of the commitment argument. A 1000 year old vampire looking for commitment and there I was wanting wanting to use him for his god-like body. I couldn't rule out the possibility of something more, just not this fast and not by jumping in headfirst without checking the water.

I joined Pam, Eric, and Mell out in the sitting room after dressing into a pair of black jeans and a 3/4 length maroon and gray tee. Someone had gone to the trouble of retrieving the large couch and armchair from the barn, and I sat down into the empty chair, watching as Mell fiddled around trying to hook up the old TV. Her neck had healed over quite well, the fleshed raised and pink in the area she'd been bitten.

"So when is Amelia deciding to grace us with her presence?" asked Pam, absently filing at a fingernail with a slim glass file. Eric was slouched down in the couch, his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, his expression surly. He was tapping at full speed into his phone, ignoring everyone.

"Well, she's been doing extra warding work in the evenings, so she's probably running late. Thank you so much for coming out, can't tell you how much I would appreciate it. Would y'all care for a blood? Mell, can I fix you something to drink?"

I brought out a round of Tru Blood, and a pitcher of ice water when the car pulled out up front. I peeped through the front windows. It was a cab. Amelia stumbled out grabbing two duffel bags from the back. She ran up the steps and burst the door open with a flourish.

"I'm here!" she cried, before erupting in a round of loud giggles. Her hair was mussed in a million different directions and her sunken eyes were as dilated as a cat's in the dark. She deposited her bags on the floor and swept me up in a hug and kiss. "Did ya miss me?"

"Amelia…"

"Oh, what? If I've done my dash with this stuff, then may as well go out with a bang."

I pulled her off me angrily and took a step back. Unless she wanted to quit then I couldn't say if all this effort would be worth it. Pam came to my side, giving my hand a quick squeeze of reassurance.

"Hello Amelia, I'd like to say that it's nice to see you again, but that would be a blatant lie since you look like crap."

"And you're still a grade-A bitch, Pamela."

Pam laughed delightedly for a second, before her face returned to it's usual cool disposition. She stepped closely to Amelia and spoke, "Amelia Broadway, remain quiet and still."

Amelia stopped her nervous fidgeting, her body and expression falling slack.

"From here on, you shall ignore any temptations or cravings for drugs. You will not partake in any drug use. Any time you experience a craving you shall instead feel inclined to…"

"To clean," I piped up. Cleaning had always been Amelia's go-to for dealing with emotional problems. This made the most sense.

"You shall be inclined to clean until the craving passes." Pam shot me a questioning look and I nodded. The petite vampire brought Amelia out from the fog of her influence, and the young witch's shoulders slumped. She dipped her head into her hands, weeping softly. I moved forward to hug her, but Pam got there too fast, wrapping her small across the Amelia's shoulders instead.

"Where's her room?" Pam asked, her eyes holding a look of concern I'd never seen before on her face.

"Upstairs," said Mell. "But there's no furniture in there yet. She can take my room for the evening."

Pam guided Amelia out of the room with a nod to us all. I mouthed 'thank you' at her and she spared me a tight smile. Eric was still intently focused on his phone, blood in one hand, and seemed completely unaffected by the whole scene. He had the bond kept so tight, it was almost completely blocked, but Mell caught my gaze by rolling her eyes in his general direction.

"Well, I'm going to head on over to Bill's house," I said. "I've got some questions for him. Would you like to accompany me please, Mell?"

"No," Eric said, standing to his feet. "She is still weakened. I will walk with you." He sent Mell a thinly disguised threat with his gaze.

Mell scoffed, standing up to her feet also. "Oh, give it a rest, vampire. You two can go ahead without me and enjoy a walk in the peace and calm of the night while you needlessly argue. I'll move in the the rest of the furniture, seeing as neither of us have a bed to sleep on tonight and I don't fancy top n' tailing with either of you on the couch."

We had reached the cemetery before the prickly silence from the tall vampire became too much.

"Are you going to give me the silent treatment all night?" I asked.

"Only until you start taking me seriously."

I came to a stand still and pulled at his arm so he was facing me.

"Eric, you have to understand this from my perspective. I've been home for only two weeks. We haven't seen or heard from each other in nine years and you expect me to jump head first into something with you? Is it so hard for you to understand that I can't just commit myself so easily? I like you, I like being around you... And I don't know if it's the bond that makes me feel like that, or if it's my legitimate feelings, but all I know is that you've been one of the only good things about coming home so far. I can't guarantee anything until I spend a little more time with you and know I'm truly ready. I feel like I've barely had a moment to get to know you again, and on top of that I'm still trying to get over the life I had in Kópavogur. "

Eric stared down at me, the shadows forming dark shapes across his handsome features. His expression was dark and unreadable.

"And exactly how long do you need to _get over_ your demon?"

I sighed, feeling the fatigue of the day settle across me.

"Eric, I think you're missing the point. It's nothing to do with Gisli. That's over now, anyway." I briefly considered telling him that Gisli and I never married, but I quickly had to disregard the idea. I knew telling him would lead to other questions, ones I still felt too vulnerable to answer.

"I understand. You wish to take things slow." He took a step closer to me, eyes holding my gaze, his flaxen hair falling across either side of his face. I waited for him the close the gap with a kiss, but instead he took my hand, his large hand completely covering mine, and we resumed walking.

"The bond doesn't make you feel anything that isn't already there," he commented, as we navigated our way between the crumbling headstones through the oldest section of the cemetery.

"Really?" I asked dubiously, but I felt the honesty of his words pulsing through the bond. It was a happy relief for me, and he flashed a broad smile my way in response, setting loose a kaleidoscope of butterflies in my stomach. This might have actually been the first thing to go right since returning home.

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**Hope you enjoyed this, not a whole lot of action this chapter, but it starts ramping up again in the next.**

**I'm currently in the middle of writing Chapter 13, but am totally stuck. I had heaps of time over the weekend to write, but could only get stuff onto the page at a snail's pace. Thinking I need to rewrite it to get my creative mojo going again... Pretty sure it's a sign there isn't enough Eric in it, so gotta approach it differently.**

**Just want to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review the last chapter. Lots of wonderful, thoughtful responses. When I get a moment I intend to reply :) **


	11. Chapter 11 (new)

**Hello to anyone out here still around to read this next update! My biggest and most heartfelt apologies for disappearing off the face of the universe. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, favorites and PMs I've received over the last few months. Very humbling to see you're still around and reading. I haven't logged in since March-ish so it was a treat to read all the reviews and the few PMs I received :) Thank you! **

**My master's is completely kicking my ass. As I mentioned to a few of you in PM, I have very little time between my online study and being a SAHM. I'm kicking butt at school and have been getting some amazing grades so I'm pretty chuffed about that. It has meant that I have had zero time and brain space to work on this story. That said - not a day goes by without me thinking about this story. I've missed the community here and all the other stories here that I'm sure I'm very behind on reading. **

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**Okay, onto the next couple chapters. I've completely revised the final section that was troublesome the first time around, but it became so long that I had to split Chapter 11 into two parts. So any of you who read Chapter 11 before I pulled it won't see new content until halfway through Chapter 12. **

**I'll be honest, I can't guarantee how often I can keep updating this story... I'm hoping I can get the ball rolling again and trickle through with regular-ish updates from here on. Much love x **

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**Chapter 11**

_The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back on its own weight._

_They had thought, with some reason, that there is no more dreadful punishment that futile and hopeless labor. - Albert Camus_

The old Compton home had undergone extensive renovations since I'd seen it last. No longer the ramshackle two story wooden home, it now stood a stunning example of Louisiana plantation architecture. The garden had been beautifully landscaped and incorporated almost every native mainstay you'd expect to see in a Louisiana garden. The porch light was on, with two small American flags hanging proudly off the tall white pillars on the front porch.

As Eric and I climbed the front steps, I telepathically moved within the dwelling to confirm the three individuals, two human and one vampire, were still inside. I pressed the ringer, a chiming bell sounding throughout the home inside. Bill answered the door, dressed in pressed khaki chinos and a red, white and blue seersucker button up. It was the furthest possible outfit away from Eric's black v-neck tee, faded denims and flip flops.

He proffered a polite smile to the both of us before speaking, "Good evening Sookie. Sheriff."

"Councilman," Eric nodded, his expression flat, but tone just this side of derisive.

"Hi Bill, sorry to call on you without warning. I was just wondering if I may speak to you for a few minutes this evening?"

"Of course, please come in. I'd ask if you could please keep your voices down as Benjamin is sleeping."

He opened the door to allow our entry and a small blonde woman appeared at his side, she was dressed in a navy and white linen shift, a red patent leather belt drawn tight around her waist. She held a delicate kind of beauty, a button nose and almond shaped brown eyes that were warm, but questioning.

"We have company, Bill?"

"Sookie, I'd like for you to meet my wife, Bethany. Bethany, this is Sookie Stackhouse an old friend of mine, and Eric, you already know."

Well, blow me down. Bill Compton, aspiring politician - and family man.

"It's lovely to meet you, Sookie" she reached over and shook my hand warmly. She knew of my old associations with Bill, but seemed unperturbed by my uninvited presence. "Bill has told me you own the old farmhouse across the cemetery."

"Lovely to meet you too. Yes, that's the old Stackhouse family home. I've just moved back in actually. It's part of the reason why I'm here to speak with Bill tonight."

We moved into the sitting room, and I seated myself on a large cream colored lounge. Bethany offered sweet tea and bottled blood, to which we all declined, and the slight blonde politely excused herself from the room.

The sitting room was styled in a grand aesthetic that perfectly matched the era of the manor, with glossy polished floors, a large canterbury style area rug adorned with small flowers, pale blue walls and thick velvet draperies.

"Congratulations on the marriage, Bill."

"I believe the same can be said for you, Sookie, and welcome back to Bon Temps," he spoke with a smile that did not quite travel to meet his eyes, his gaze darting lightning fast from me to Eric and back again.

"Thank you...And you have a son now?" I hoped it wasn't impolite to ask, but the question was burning me with the need to know.

"Yes, Benjamin is a my step-son. He turned eight last May. Bethany is a widower, Benjamin is her child from her first marriage. Beth and I have been married three years now."

"I'm so happy for you. Your home is so lovely too. Makes me want to begin working on my old thing." The old farmhouse was in such need of upgrades I'd have to work well into next century just to pay for it.

"Thank you. It was a long time coming, but Bethany was an invaluable help and inspiration with the renovations."

"Well, you've both done a lovely job." I cleared my throat, folding my hands neatly across my lap, as I carefully chose my next words. "Bill, firstly, I'd like to thank you for officiating our pledging last night. It was an unexpected, but lovely surprise."

Eric looked smug and leaned back on the couch beside me, his arm coming to rest loosely behind my shoulders. Eric knew very well I hadn't considered it a lovely surprise at all.

"I also wanted to talk to you about the vampires that visited Tara a few nights back," I continued. "She said you chased them off?"

"Yes, I smelled them out in the woods the night before and saw them approach the farmhouse the next night. I intervened."

"Did you recognise them?" I asked, leaning forward slightly in my seat. "Or maybe know them from your database?"

He shook his head in reply, "They are most likely on the database, but it is now 200 000 strong with vampires in North America alone. I'm not familiar with every vampire in America. They left before I could even speak with them properly."

"They're bounty hunters sent to apprehend me. There have been a number of them. Those two you saw returned to my home again tonight, but were run off."

"Why do they want you?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. So far we can't even figure out where they got their orders from, let alone from who. My bodyguard has said she's been looking through all the usual means and through her contacts, but has come up with zilch. I think Eric's probably done the same." Eric nodded in agreement.

"Your bodyguard? The banshee who accompanied you last night?" Bill asked his brows rising in a mild astonishment and when I nodded he became thoughtful for a fraction of a second. "Did she think to check the Voynich Exchange?"

"The what?" I looked across to Eric, who shrugged, looking as puzzled as I felt. "What's that?"

"Well, have you ever heard of Silk Road?"

"The ancient trading route?" asked Eric skeptically.

"No, not that Silk Road. The other Silk Road was an online black market trading site hosted on the deep web. It was where search engines couldn't reach and people could buy, sell and post anonymously. Voynich Exchange is one based on a similar premise, except it is frequented by supes, mostly vampires from what I've heard. Many things are bought and sold on there - live donors, pets, fairy blood, and murder for hire, for example."

My eyes widened in surprise. The extent of my knowledge with the internet was minimal, all I'd used it for was for searching on Google, email, and watching cat videos on YouTube. It seemed incredible to me that such a thing even existed.

Bill stood and motioned for us to follow him into his office. We gathered around his laptop that sat on his large wooden business desk and he opened it, navigating through multiple windows and installing something before finally accessing the website in question.

It took only a few minutes of searching before we found the right listing. There was my picture, from many years earlier - I was grinning at the camera dressed in my old Merlotte's uniform. My address was listed and a reward of $1.5 million if I was brought in alive. The floor underneath me began to sway and tip with vertigo and Eric grabbed onto my hand, pushing strength through the bond. I straightened my knees and tried to steady myself.

"One and a half million? That's ridiculous! Who on earth even wants me that badly? And why?" I peered closer to the computer staring hard at the listing. "How do you contact the seller who posted in the ad? Can you do that, find out who it is?"

"It's an anonymous account. I don't think I have the skills required to track an IP or any of their details, especially on the deep web."

"Send them a message," said Eric. "Tell them you have her and that you are willing to meet. We could ambush the vampire."

Bill set his jaw, shaking his head apologetically. "I can't do that. If this got somehow traced back to me…" He swallowed uneasily. "I walk a fine line in human politics. I'm hoping to run for senate someday. I'm under more scrutiny than most, being vampire. I can't do anything that could jeopardize that."

"Okay, maybe I could go to the library and do it myself?" I cursed my lack of experience with technology. I could try, but I'd honestly be stabbing in the dark. I wouldn't even know where to begin.

"I don't think you could install the necessary software on a library computer to enter the DarkNet. Perhaps if you had a home computer, I could assist you?" He closed the laptop, turning in his office chair to face us. I chewed on my lip, thinking it over. I could drive across to the mall out at Shreveport the next day and pick up a computer that would be suitable. It might eat at my savings, but at the very least I'd have a computer for checking my emails and browsing online whenever I needed.

I agreed and arranged for Bill to visit my home the following evening. Bill showed us out the door, and I let Eric walk on ahead down the path across the lawn.

"It hasn't been the same here without you, Sookie." Bill said, as we stood on the porch.

"I shouldn't expect so. If you couldn't already tell - where I go, trouble always follows. I'm sure Bon Temps was dreadfully boring in my absence," I joked, shoving my hands into my jeans' pockets. His features pulled up into a practiced smile, his white teeth gleaming under the porch light.

"I'm glad to see how life has turned out for you, Bill. Your wife seems very sweet."

"It's been an interesting experience raising a family here again." His expression turned wistful and he looked back up at the old home.

"I'm sure it brings back a lot of memories."

"It does. I hope you can find the same happiness, Sookie." I heard the unspoken dig in his words. A life like his would be something I could never hope to have if I were with Eric. I surprised myself but not at all feeling upset at the notion.

I'd never expected to have that kind of life when I was growing up anyway, not with my telepathy. Any sort of meaningful relationship with a human was simply not doable. Even when I had my one shot at a white picket fence, and part-demon family, it didn't work out. It just wasn't meant to be, and for the first time I realized that while a part of me would continue to grieve for the loss of baby Finnur, and what could have been, I was also okay with it. I would move on and could be happy with whatever life I chose.

"I was at LSU this morning," I said, moving the conversation in a different direction. "And I happened to see the hospital ward you donated in your late wife's name. That's a wonderful thing to do."

"I try to help the community where I can. The center will assist many affected people in Northern Louisiana."

"From what I've heard there is quite the drug problem here now. Do you know anything about it?"

"I don't know anymore more than the average person." His mouth pressed into a firm line, small wrinkles appearing at the corner of his lips. We finished up our conversation with polite invitations to call on one another again and we said our goodbyes. I jogged to catch up to Eric, who was loitering at the edge of Bill's garden.

"Well, that was complete bullshit," I said once I heard the front door close and latch shut behind us.

"You think he has something to do with the drug trade?"

"I wouldn't have a clue, but he knows something and he's hiding it. His tells are too obvious. He gets a constipated kind of look..." We both laughed and began walking across his driveway towards the cemetery.

"I quite enjoyed his manufactured life. Did you notice his wife is like an obedient version of you?"

"What?" I scoffed. "No, she isn't."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure he had you in mind when he picked her." Eric slung his arm over my shoulders and pulled me close to him as we walked. "She's a sweet, blonde southern belle. Very much like you, only demure and not demanding to be included in everyone's business."

"Hey!" I elbowed him in the ribs in complaint. Eric laughed and swept me off the ground bridal style. I kicked and squealed, punching him ineffectually against his pecs. "Put me down!".

Eric tightened his grip around me and took off, launching us high above the gravestones and the tree line, till we were dozens of feet in the air hovering. I cried out in shock and clung to his neck like it were a life preserver.

"It's okay, Sookie. I won't drop you and even if I do, I'd still catch you in time."

"Put me down, you know I hate heights! And don't you dare even think about dropping me as a joke, mister - or you'll be digging your own hole out in the yard to sleep in tonight."

"See? You're not demure at all. If anything, I'd say a little too mouthy for your own good." He relaxed his arms and I let out another shriek as I slipped down a few inches. Eric tightened his grasp on me, his chuckling rumbled through his chest like a car engine on idle.

"This isn't funny! Just put me down."

"Not yet, I want you to look."

I dared to glance around, digging my nails into the back of his neck. To my north, I could see the handful of bright twinkling lights from Bon Temps, and down below the gray pillars of gravestones, lit just enough by the light of the waxing moon. They dotted like ancient monuments across the small clearing in the forest. It was like a scene taken straight from A Midsummer's Night's Dream.

"It's beautiful." I breathed. "I can't believe you get to enjoy this view, or any view, whenever you want. It's incredible." The breeze whipped my hair behind me, sending ripples of goosebumps up my arms. Eric traveled forward until we were hovering over my old farmhouse and lowered us gently onto the lawn.

"That was good, but a little bit of notice next time would be nice." I flattened down my windblown hair, with a laugh.

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked, eyebrow raised, and started back up to the house.

We found Mell inside laying on the large sofa, half asleep and watching the news, Gran's old ugly afghan pulled across her.

"Why aren't you upstairs in bed?" I asked, shucking off my low-cut converses by the front door. Eric stepped past me into the kitchen and I heard the fridge open as he retrieved a bottle of blood.

"I'm not interested in sharing a bedroom wall with those two upstairs," she grumbled, eyes never leaving the screen.

I looked up at the ceiling in the direction of their room, but couldn't hear anything. I lowered my shields a fraction and was hit with a blast of Amelia's strongly broadcast thoughts. She was enjoying herself... Thoroughly. I rapidly retreated.

"Alrighty, well I hope you're not too uncomfortable on the couch tonight."

As I walked down the hall to my bedroom I heard Mell mumble that it better only be for the night or she'd have problems. Mell had been busy in my absence and had kindly moved in my nightstand, books and bed for me, although the bed and quilt still needed linen. I dressed into my pyjamas, a tank and shorts set, and after brushing my teeth I made up my bed in my favorite pastel yellow daisy sheet set.

Eric wandered in a little while later with a leather overnight bag and propped it beside the walk-in closet door. I climbed into bed as I felt mischievousness roll through from his end of the bond. I paused midway through pulling back the covers to watch him curiously. With his back still turned to me, he pulled off his T-shirt in a single fluid movement, the muscles in his back rolling as if they were an ocean wave. I quickly averted my gaze and focused on climbing into bed. I didn't need to guess at what little game he was trying to play.

I peeked back up when he bent to unzip the bag and watched as he withdrew a pair of plaid pyjama pants. At least he wasn't planning on relaxing in the nude around me. I was no prude, but I liked to consider myself a modest woman, at least most of the time, and I doubted I could control my urges around a naked Eric - who was essentially a walking, talking version of Adonis. He stood straight and shirked the jeans, his smooth, pale, and perfect behind revealed in its full glory. He quickly turned his head to flash me with a satisfied smirk.

"See something you like?"

"You're wicked! This is hardly playing fair." I threw my pillow across at him, my cheeks on fire, but he easily sidestepped the soft projectile with a chuckle and proceeded to put on his pyjama pants.

"I don't play fair. I play to win," he grinned, climbing on the bed next to me, bringing the pillow back with him.

"So, what? You think you can charm me until I can't bear it any longer and say those two magic words?" I turned to my side so my back was to him and snatched my book up off the nightstand and opened it to a random page, the crocheted bookmark falling to the floor in my fluster.

"I doubt it will work, but it will be fun trying."

I made a huffing sound and tried to focus on the words on the page, rather than the vampire in my bed. I felt his weight lift off and he returned back under the covers a second later. He reached over me and placed an iPad on my nightstand, propping it up in its red case so we could both see the screen.

"I thought you might like to watch a movie with me."

"That would be nice, thank you." I closed my book with a smile.

He had wireless internet and we were able to rent and stream a latest release. We picked a newish Nicole Kidman thriller, one about a woman who loses her memory and has to piece together her old life. I found it a lot more dramatic and a lot less sexy than when I'd had my own amnesiac come to stay. I fell asleep not long before the end, with Eric spooned up close behind me.

I awoke with a start and sat straight up in bed, confused by my surrounds. It was my old bedroom, I was back home and there were two resting vampire voids hidden in the floor space under my walk-in wardrobe. The iPad was still propped up next to me. I brought the device back to life the way I'd seen Eric do and saw the time was 7:42 am. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I got out of bed and rummaged around in one of my bags until I found my robe. I padded out quietly to the kitchen and set about preparing myself a coffee.

Mell's mumbled complaints at the noise traveled over from the sitting room, so I prepared her a cup of tea at the same time. I brought them out into the sitting room and placed the steaming mug of tea on the low coffee table for Mell, before curling up in the recliner with my coffee.

"Do you think Amelia needs a lift to her shop today?" I asked. I reached for Amelia's mind and discovered it completely peaceful in a dreamless sleep upstairs.

"I don't fecking know," Mell grumbled, sitting up just enough to take a sip of tea.

"I'll go check in a minute," I said, ignoring her surliness. "How are you feeling today? You can't even see where that vampire bit you now."

"I'm all recovered, but I'll feel even better when I can have my own room back. Your ancient furniture is less than comfortable to sleep on." She straightened up on the couch, rubbing her lower back. "You ought to replace it all. Although, it seems you have a thing for ancient beings and belongings."

I poked my tongue out at her and the corners of her rosy lips curled into a blink-and-you'd-miss-it smirk.

"I need to shower and get some clothes, so I'll check if Amelia needs a lift." Mell downed the rest of her tea in one go and stomped her way upstairs. I relaxed back on the couch, enjoying the peaceful morning and staring out across the front garden. It was nice to be back.

"Sookie!" Mell's alarmed cry cut through my quiet thoughts like a shot in the dark. I ditched my mug on the coffee table, brown liquid sloshing over the rim, and took the stairs two at a time. I found Mell kneeling beside Amelia in her bed, her face screwed with worry.

"She won't wake!" she had Amelia by the shoulders and shook her roughly. The frail brunette bobbed around limply at Mell's actions.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." The words came tumbling from my lips. I kneeled beside Mell, unintentionally bumping her out of the way to grab a hold of Amelia. I slapped at Amelia's cheek firmly with my open palm.

"She smells different," Mell said. "Like death... Like death and magic. She smelled like this last night, but this is much stronger."

"Wake up, Amelia! Wake up!" I entered her mind forcefully, prodding her sharply from within to rouse her. Inside it was empty, cool, and blank. Just like the dozen patients I had sat with in the hospital. A sob escaped my lips as I lay Amelia gently back into the bed.

"We need to call an ambulance. She's comatose."


	12. Chapter 12

**STOP! Have you read Chapter 11? That's the chapter I uploaded briefly in March before pulling and reworking it (to finally post again six months later). If you've read it already you'll see that I've had to split it into two chapters as the final (rewritten) section became too long. **

**I really hope I haven't made any timeline errors, I will need to go back and reread what I've written so far so it's all fresh in my mind again. Apologies for any spelling or punctuation errors too. It's late and my toddler broke my reading glasses :-/**

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**Chapter 12**

_A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided. - Tony Robbins_

I'd been staring at the speckled pattern on the white linoleum for close to an hour before the orderlies wheeled Amelia back in on her bed. The morning had been a blur from the time the ambulance arrived and Mell and I followed it out to the LSU Teaching hospital. I rubbed at my eyes tiredly, still puffy from lack of sleep and crying.

The orderly applied the brakes and I distantly heard him say something about a doctor coming by later. I wasn't listening, reaching straight for the witch's small hand, enveloping it in my own and I slipped back into her mind hoping for something, anything, that could help. Maybe a tendril of conscious thought that I could use to drag her back into the world? Or perhaps some shade of a memory that may give a clue as to what happened? There was nothing. It was like running through a dreamscape of a desert, no matter where I turned, the expanse of nothing just stretched endlessly on.

"Sookie. That's enough now," Mell grabbed me by the shoulder and squeezed it.

"No, just a bit longer." I angrily shook her off.

"Sookie... It's been nearly three hours."

"Really?" I broke off my mental explorations in shock and turned to the small, stout Irish woman. She nodded, her eyes colored with concern.

"The doctor even came by. He said he can't tell us anything as we're not family."

"You should have got my attention," I snapped, coming to my feet. "I've had it with not knowing anything." I grabbed my purse off the back of my chair and slung it over my shoulder. "I'm going to find out what the doctor knows and then we're going to the Beltane Gem and work out what the heck is going on and how Amelia is involved."

I first grabbed Amelia's chart off the end of the bed and began flicking through. It was hard to make out the full sense of the scrawled notes and doctors' abbreviations, but I caught the gist. They'd performed an MRI that morning, taken some rough notes on the circumstances of how she was found, her drug history was recorded, bloods taken with preliminary results already sent back from pathology. I couldn't make any sense of that, but my eyes got stuck on one familiar term.

I replaced the chart and had Mell walk the ward with me until she spotted the doctor who had been in to see Amelia. He was in the corridor outside another patient's door, talking with two younger doctors. After a quick examination of their minds, I realized they were student doctors.

"Hi Dr Latham," I said, addressing the older gray-haired man. "I'm Amelia's friend, Sookie. We're just heading out now. I just wanted to thank you for everything you're doing for my friend. I'm not sure if Mell had mentioned earlier, but Amelia's father is in Ohio for business, and will be here either tonight or tomorrow."

"We're wishing her a speedy recovery," he said in the tactful manner that medical professionals always seemed speak. He finally looked up from the chart the three were mulling over, his brow furrowing. "Thank you for letting me know."

He was annoyed that I'd interrupted him and was feeling resigned to dealing with another unwitting comatose patient that he and the other doctors wouldn't know how to revive. It was what I'd expected to hear from his thoughts, but it still caused my eyes to fill with tears, especially as he went on to silently consider it was likely she'd die like the rest seemed to be doing.

We were on our way out of the ward before I remembered I had one last question. I stopped by the nurses station, where one female and two male nurses were chatting and working at their computers. I remembered the female nurse from my visit the day prior and she smiled sympathetically at me.

"Hey hon, how can I help?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with a medical abbreviation I saw written on a chart. What does BS stand for?"

It was listed among a few others on Amelia's pathology results, but it was also the same abbreviation I'd seen on the jar that Amelia kept her drug stash. I couldn't explain what made it stick out like a sore thumb to me on the chart. A hunch or desperate attempt to discover clues where there were likely none.

"Sure, pet. I can help. It means blood sugar. Or sometimes bowel signs, but most of the time it's referring to blood sugar."

Mell and I shared a long significant glance as we left the ward. The nurse had unintentionally revealed for us the extra ingredient in the cocaine that was fueling Shreveport's nightlife. Blood.

We got to the Beltane Gem mid-afternoon and I unlatched the front door with the keys I'd retrieved from Amelia's handbag. I grabbed the pile of mail on the front stoop and Mell walked in ahead, switching on the overhead lamps that lit the store.

"What's the plan?"

"You start searching the store, I'll call Octavia. I'm counting on her help to pull Amelia out of this. Then when it's dark we let Eric know the truth about the drugs."

"I don't understand how they don't already know. If what you say is right, and most of the fangbangers use it, I don't understand how the vampires haven't worked it out yet."

"Your guess is as good as mine...And you saw the drugs when I flushed them. It just looks like white powder. I suppose something must have been done to the blood. Maybe it's unrecognizable?"

Mell started looking through the filing cabinets out in the back stockroom while I called Octavia. I explained as much as I could before the tears overcame me.

"Shhh, honey," said the older witch. "I'll do everything I can to help. I was getting a lift up with Louis later this week, but I'll see if we can make the trip tomorrow. Now tell me the little details. Let's go over it again. Tell me exactly what she was thinking when you were talking to her about it when you saw her last."

"She was thinking about how much she wished she could go out and relax. That she was sick of working, I think," I paused to pull a tissue from my purse, and dabbed my eyes, thinking through that afternoon in the kitchenette when I first reunited with Amelia. "Her exact thoughts were that she was being kept on a tight lead by... By someone. What was the name? A Sylvie, or Sylvia? Something like that."

Octavia made a tutting sound before speaking, "And your friend said she could smell a mix of magic and death on her?"

"Yes, she did. Does that ring a bell? Do you know what that means?" A small bud of hope bloomed in my chest.

"Perhaps... There is a powerful witch. She moves in different circles to the ones most covens operate under. I'd heard a rumor she'd moved into Louisiana some years back, but haven't heard much since."

"What do you mean 'moves in different circles'?"

"The rumors were that she dealt with death magic, necromancy, as opposed to most witches and covens, who follow nature and elemental based magic."

"What's the main difference? She can kill people?"

"Any witch worth her salt has the ability to kill, but necromancy is about deriving power through death and the change that it enacts on the environment around us. It's a chaotic kind of magic, difficult to temper and against everything a modern witch believes in."

"Do you think it could explain the body snatchings?"

"Maybe, but I couldn't imagine why she'd need them. Necromancy often involves sacrifice, the act of death. Not dead bodies."

The chime on the shop door rang and a young man entered. I hastily ended the call with Octavia promising to talk to her more the following day.

"Hi there. Amelia out today?" he asked good-naturedly. He was in his late teens and a quick scan of his brain revealed nothing nefarious, he was just here to pick up a book he'd had special ordered.

"I'm afraid she's not well at the moment. Actually, I'm just here to tie up some loose ends for her while she's sick. The store isn't technically open." I pointed to the sign on the door still set to closed.

"Whoops, sorry. Amelia left a message yesterday to say my book had arrived. I just wanted to collect it."

I felt obliged to help, so had a quick look through the counter behind me. There was a book in a clear plastic ziploc bag, titled _'Power and Workings through the Four Seasons_' and his face lit up when I showed him. I checked the back of the thick paperback and charged him the recommended retail. I deposited the cash into the till and the teen opened the small lock box beside the cash register and began rifling through the contents.

"What's that?" I asked, peering over the open lid.

"It's all the customer loyalty cards. We keep them here so they're easy to find," he lifted a pentagram shaped ink stamp that sat next to the till and and stamped the wallet sized card, before placing it back in the box. "I hope Amelia feels better soon!"

I barely registered his departure as I pulled the small lock box towards me. It was full of hundreds of cards, all arranged alphabetically, with each letter standing distinct from the other thanks to a lettered marker that sat taller than the rest. I rifled through the first few letters until I stumbled on a familiar name. Jenny Cornish. The young comatose patient who had the small dog. Her card had four stamps out of ten and her next purchase would attract a 20% discount. I kept moving through the rest until I recognized four more names of patients. Some only had one stamp, others multiple. From my handbag, I pulled out the envelope of names Andy had given me and it didn't take long before discovering nearly every name on the list was part of Beltane Gem's loyalty club.

"Hey, Mell!" I called out towards the back rooms. "I think I worked out the connection between all the patients."

Mell came out a moment later, holding a pile of paperwork. "Thank feck for that," she said, dumping the papers on the counter. "Because this is all gobbledegook. I have no idea what on earth I should be looking for."

"From what I can tell, most of the comatose patients have been customers here, at least once, others many times. Amelia's definitely embroiled in this somehow." I hopped off my seat and crossed the store to flip the closed sign over. "I'm at a loss, right now. I think Octavia is our only hope at this stage."  
"When's she arriving?"  
"Tomorrow. Now, did you want to swap jobs? I want to put on a pot of coffee while I'm out there."  
Mell grinned crookedly at me and gladly deposited the pile of papers into my arms.

We continued worked for another hour, finding nothing other than a few of Amelia's oddly located drug stashes, before I remembered my meeting with Bill.  
"Crap, we gotta go. I need to buy a computer and get it all set up for Bill tonight." I grabbed my bag and the keys off the counter and pulled Mell away from the bookshelves. Judging by how ruffled her hair was, I had a feeling she might have been dozing on the reading chair in the book section until she heard me coming.  
"Did you want to stop by the hospital again? " she asked, while I deadbolted the door. I checked my phone, it was 4pm, and judging by how my stomach had been rumbling, I needed to eat too.  
"Maybe later, I have a hunch that Pam will want to stop by and visit."

Several hundred dollars poorer and one stop at Best Buy later, I decided to call by Sonic on the way to the hospital and reacquaint my taste buds with some sorely missed fast food. My phone began buzzing as soon as we sat down with our trays and I hurried to pull the phone from my purse. A picture of Eric, professionally posed and half naked was displayed on the screen. Two guesses which blonde vampiress had changed his contact image.

"He-"

"Where are you?" Eric asked.

"Well, hello to you too," I replied snippily. "Shreveport. How are you awake? Sundown is still a couple couple of hours away." I'd felt him wake, but had doubted myself, it seemed a lot earlier than usual.

"I'm old enough to resist the pull of day as sunset approaches. I was hoping you'd be here."

"No one is. We've been out all day... Amelia wouldn't wake this morning. She's in hospital. Comatose." I stuffed my mouth with a couple of fries before my brain decided it would be better to start crying again.

"How?"

"Wish I could tell you. Mell and I've been in hospital most of the day and spent the rest of the time scouring Amelia's store for anything that might help explain."

"And?"

"We found nearly all of the comatose patients are customers of hers. I don't know if they're all witches; I guess that's something I need to look into."

"You're putting yourself in danger, Sookie. I don't like it."

I sighed at his expected response, rubbing at my forehead feeling exhaustion creep through.

"I'm already in danger simply for existing at the moment. I have to help. I've been hired to help. Don't push me on this, Eric. There isn't anything you can say to sway me."

My response was met with silence and I didn't need the confirmation of our bond to know how frosty he was feeling about it all. We would have to discuss it later, when we both had time to process the events of the day.

"When will you be back?" he said stiffly.

"Soon after dark. Tell Pam about Amelia when she rises, I know she'll want to know."

"Stay safe, Sookie."

I disconnected the call without saying goodbye. He'd annoyed me and I decided it was my time to maybe take a leaf out of vampire phone etiquette 101.

"He's needy for a vampire," Mell commented.

"They're needy by definition," I grumbled, pushing my phone back into my handbag, "and severely lacking in manners. Although, maybe that's just a supe thing."

Mell snorted, swiping her index finger through the cream off the top of my shake. "You're probably onto something."

* * *

I didn't notice the tire spikes until it was too late. We were just off the highway, in a heavily forested area, about five miles before the turn off to Hummingbird Road. The car bumped over the spikes and I pulled hard onto the shoulder before my tires deflated too badly. I cursed under my breath as I saw in the rearview mirror two vampires stepping out from the darkness of the surrounded forest. Their figures illuminated red by my brake lights. The same two that Mell had dealt with two nights earlier.

"It's tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee from last night," Mell said, turning around in her seat. I unclipped my seat belt and withdrew my retractable stake from my purse, snapping it out into place. I pocketed my butterfly knife.

"You have to kill them this time," I told her.

"No," she said, hand already resting on her sword's hilt. "I'll kill one. Subdue the other. Then we can get some answers," and she was out the door before I could even form a reply.

I swept my mental radar a little wider and my mind tripped across a human brain nearly fifty feet south of our location. The mind was a trembling mental mess that swung wildly from sheer terror to anger and futility. Tara.

My chest clenched in fear and I leapt out the door to tail Mell, stake forgotten and unable to tear my focus from Tara's terrified stream of conscious.

_Please Lord keep my babies safe. I can't die, I can't die. Does J.B. even know I'm gone? What's he gonna do if I'm dead? How did this happen? Those fucking fangers better not touch him or my babies or they'll rot. And Lord, whoop Sookie's ass for dragging me into this mess._

Mell had flittered forward to cut off the vampire's slow advances, her sword swinging.

"Mell, don't!" I screamed. "They have Tara!" I sprinted to her, frantically trying to drag her back by the waist.

With a shake of her shoulders she brushed me off her, irritated. "What do you mean?"

The two vampires approached, the smaller one with a smug smile; the Gerard Depardieu look alike, grim and stony-faced.

"Don't be foolish, banshee," warned the smaller one. "Give us Sookie and we'll let her friend go."

"Foolish?" Mell scoffed, sword lowering slightly in the air, "Foolish?! You've got to be fecking kidding me. Sookie isn't going anywhere."

"No, please don't hurt her," I said, and Mell turned to shoot me a filthy look.

"Georgio," the vampire nodded to his taller counterpart and the tall vampire blurred into the forest in response. He emerged moments later with Tara, bound and gagged, over his shoulder. She was yelling, her words muffled, her zip tied hands and feet flailing uselessly like a dying fish on a sunny dock. She fell to his feet in a pile and the smaller vampire pulled her up by the back of her shirt. Tara looked across at me her eyes wild, dark shadows rimmed underneath. Her cheeks were wet.

"You have a choice, Sookie," the shorter vampire informed me. "Come now and your friend here will live. Any other option and I'll finish draining her. She doesn't have all that much blood left to give, as it turns out."

Georgio, his partner, bared his teeth in a satisfied way, his tongue casually snaking out to caress his incisors which were already down.

"Stick to the plan, Sookie," Mell hissed, trying to elbow me away from her. She could have pushed me off her completely with her strength, but she chose not to. It gave me hope. I looked at Tara, whose eyes were pleading with me and I gave her a firm nod.

"Mell - step back." I kept my voice steady as I could.

"Don't make any daft decisions, Sookie." Her voice a warning. I took a risk and stood in front of Mell's face, my back to the vampires.

"No," I said, "Don't you gamble the lives of my friends. They've sacrificed enough for me. We can make this work." I turned on my heel back to the bounty hunters. "Before I agree, I need to the know the terms of my capture. Do the both of you need to bring me back as a 'dead or alive' kinda deal? Or…?"

Georgio shot an uncertain glance at this shorter accomplice before answering.

"They just want you alive." His voice hinted to an unknown accent. I already the knew the answer, of course, I just needed confirmation that bounty hunters didn't have to be a package deal.

I turned back to Mell, hands on my hips. "See? They have no plans to kill me. They take me to their leader and then you guys come find me." With my back to the vampires, I began moving my eyes frantically to the left, trying to point out the position of which vampire I wanted Mell to attend to, without giving away my signals.

'Stun him.' I mimed silently and her mouth formed a small O shape in understanding.

"Please. Let me do this. I won't die. This will work." I said to her, mustering all the emotion I could into my voice and applying strong pressure to her brain.

She let out an over the top groan, "Ok. Fine! Stubborn woman."

I walked to the shorter vampire and opened my arms to Tara. The shorter vampire's face flashed with triumph and he released her. The woman collapsed into my arms.

"I'm so sorry I let this happen," I whispered, pressing my face into her thick, dark hair. She was awash with relief.

I pressed my mind against Mell's as a sharp signal and Mell jumped forward her sword swinging. I twisted Tara around and collapsed onto the ground over her. My knuckles grazed against the gravelly pavement and I held Tara tightly to me, whispering soft assurances.

Georgio barely had time to react as he crumpled to the ground unconscious and in the next breath Mell had the shorter vampire up against a tall tree beside the road, her sword to his neck. She was practically dancing with anticipation of the kill, her leather booted feet scuffing excitedly back and forth.

He let out a roar of anger. "We had an agreement!" He fought against her ineffectually, too wary of the sword at his neck.

I pulled my butterfly blade from my pocket and cut the zip ties that bound Tara's feet and wrists. I stood, pulling her gingerly up with me and I moved in silence back to my pickup, my arms supporting her across her small waist. Her feet stumbled and tripped over themselves as she walked. I sat her down in the passenger seat. I kissed Tara's cheek and followed it up by ripping the tape covering her mouth.

"Motherfucker," she choked out, voice hoarse.

"Sit tight," I said, swinging the door shut before she had a chance to call me any of the foul names that her mind was brimming with.

I walked back to Mell and the vampire.

"Listen, tweedle-dum" I said coming to a stop beside the two of them. "There's not a whole lot I can say that will stop my banshee friend here from eviscerating you and your partner if she wants to. But if you want to save your hide, you can tell me who hired you and why."

He snarled, his teeth descending, "I tell you and then what? You kill me anyway?"

"Sounds like a plan." Mell pressed the sword harder against his neck and blood crept across the edge of the blade. I sighed and rubbed at my eyes tiredly. I was tired of all the drama and mess. I was spent. I thought of Amelia alone and laying as still as a glassy pond in her hospital bed.

"Okay… What if I agree to come with you?" I said, after a long moment had passed.

Mell's head snapped in my direction, her eyes wide. "What?!"

I ignored her, choosing to focus instead on the vampire.

"And then she," the vampire said, his mouth curling with distaste around the pronoun referring to Mell, "will simply cut us off before I deliver you, she'll kill me then kill the contractor."

"Better fecking believe it," Mell replied nastily.

"Mell! Cut the bullshit!" I finally cried out, anger bubbling in my chest. "Do you think I'm enjoying this? I'm sick of it. I'm sick of having a bodyguard watching over my every move. I'm sicking of looking over my shoulder all the time. I have more important things to be worrying about right now. Let me sort this out once and for all so I can focus on solving whatever the hell is happening around here."

"Sookie, it's you who is gambling with your life now. There is no 'sorting' this situation out! Someone wants your life. I can't let you get killed or hurt. I can't leave you."

"Then come with me."

Mell's expression turned suddenly thoughtful as she considered. Small wispy tendrils had fallen from her tight bun, making her look far more gentle than I knew her to be.

"One-time offer vamp," Mell finally said, pulling her gaze from me. "You promise not to harm Sookie. I promise not to kill you or the person who hired you, at least not until he or she has paid up. As a bonus, we can leave your buddy here and then you'll get twice the reward you'd intended."

His eyes traveled past her sword to the unconscious Georgio as comprehension dawned that his payday just doubled. "Done."


End file.
